[TheForge] Toxicity of Japan Drier (and RANT)

[Bruce Freeman]

Qth.com declared the following posting spam and
bounced it!  The only thing I can figure is that the
tabular format of the (previously) attached MSDS set
off some stupid red flag programmed into a dimwit
computer by a dimwit programmer.

So, here it is without the MSDS.  You'll just have to
trust my references to that.  And, no, I  no longer
have the url for it.

end of rant.

Bruce
NJ



=====================

I've attached (NOT!) a slightly edited text version of
an
MSDS for one "Japan Drier".  This material contains
cobalt and other potentially toxic materials.  Since
its use on food-handling items is not necessary, I
strongly suggest it be avoided completely.  

But let's examine Mike's contention:

This MSDS says that this material contains 5-10% of a
"COBALT ALKANOTE SOLUTION CONSISTING OF ING[redient]S
9-12".
Ingredient 10 is COBALT 2-ETHYLHEXANOATE, and
ingredient 11 is COBALT NAPHTHENATE, and both of these
are listed as being present at 20-25% of the total of
the above solution, or, hence, 1-2.5% each.  

Cobalt has a MW of 59.  Napthenate ion  would be about
MW 175, and 2ethylhexanoate would be about 144.  So
cobalt averages about 21% of these compounds, or,
hence, 0.2-0.5% of the japan drier.  

Now, how much japan drier do you use?  A really
minimal google search suggests 1-4% of the total
material.  Hence, cobalt would be present at
.002-0.02% = 20-200 ppm.

I work with small quantities of materials, and doubt
you'd manage to get 100 mg of a finish coat into your
food.  I'd put an outside limit of 10 mg contamination
with finish coat, with 1 mg being much more likely.

That would imply we might contaminate food with
20-2000x10-6 mg = 20-2000x10-3 mcg = 20-2000 ng of
cobalt.
(I'm having difficulty believing that would hurt you.)

Sigma-Aldrich lists an lower lethal dose of 1500 mg/kg
in a child. (I wonder whose child was that?  Can I
volunteer some children for such studies?)  That would
be equivalent to cobalt at about 950 mg/kg, or 95 g
(about 3 oz) in a 200-lb man.

Looks like we don't have much to worry about from
Japan drier.  But still, don't make a practice of
using toxic materials on food-related items.

Bruce
NJ




__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com