Swallowing santol seeds can cause death

That mouthful of warning comes from Dr.Reynaldo O. Joson, chairman of the Department of Surgery, Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center. The good doctor notes, "Within the past four weeks, there have been two patients reported to me who had undergone an abdominal operation because of perforation of the large intestines due to swallowed santol seeds. One was a 70-year-old female Filipino, who was operated at Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center and survived the operation but ended up with a colostomy (an intestine protruding through the abdominal wall to serve as a temporary anus). The other patient was a 50-year-old female Filipino operated on at another government hospital who unfortunately died of uncontrollable and irreversible septicemia (infection in the blood stream). I am sure that there are other patients operated on for swallowed santol seeds in other hospitals during this season of santol but were not reported."

Who doesn’t love santol? When you were a child, you probably had a santol tree (or two or three) in your backyard, teeming with those brownish yellow fruits that never failed to attract the other kids in the neighborhood who eyed your santol with lust and often climbed over your fence to have a taste of the "forbidden fruit." Native to Southeast Asia (of course, you’re also familiar with the Bangkok santol, the humongous version of our own diminutive santol), the santol is also called the lolly fruit because you have to suck its white juicy pulp to get the flavor of the flesh that sticks tenaciously to the seeds. Some like it sweet; others like it sour or sub-acid, often eaten with salt. You must have accidentally swallowed one (or more) of those velvety seeds (usually 2 cm. long), that effortlessly slid down your throat. Probably the only thing that stopped you from knowingly swallowing a santol seed then was your parents’ claim that a santol tree would grow in your stomach if you didn’t stop including those seeds in your daily diet.

In 2001, the Department of Surgery of the Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center started raising public awareness on the danger of swallowing santol seeds. Broadsheets, tabloids, radio, television and, yes, the Internet started sending out health advisories on santol seeds. However, despite these advisories, every year, from 2002 to the present, 2006, during santol season in the Philippines, from July to October, there would still be reported cases of patients being operated on and dying as a result of swallowing santol seeds. 

Now, it’s time to swallow this warning from Dr. Joson: "Swallowed santol seeds can cause premature death by obstructing and perforating the intestines. If santol seeds are accidentally swallowed, watch out for abdominal pain. If abdominal pain occurs, consult an abdominal surgeon (general surgeon) right away who will give the necessary advice on what to do next. Swallowing santol seeds is a totally preventable cause of a health problem and death."

For inquiries, write to rjoson2001@yahoo.com or visit http://ommcsurgery.tripod.com/publiced/advisory/santoladvisory.

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The Battle vs The Plastic Water Bottle

The message is crystal-clear: Do not reuse plastic water bottles. These PET (polyethylene terephthalate) – using two layers of plastic with a nylon in between – bottles, American scientists say, can be bacteria breeding grounds when reused. The bacteria simply multiply. Thus, avoid leaving a half-drunk bottle (that looks like a gross science experiment) for a long time because the bacteria on the bottle cap and brim can breed.

These bottles are safe for one-time use only, or one week at the max. And they should be kept away from heat. Their distribution and storage conditions may adversely affect their quality.

What about washing these plastic water bottles really well with soap and water?

No way, scientists are quick to note. Because these disposable plastic bottles are really meant to be disposed of, even washing them ain’t good enough.

Worse, washing and rinsing PET bottles repeatedly can cause the plastic to break down and its cancer-causing chemical agents to leak into the water we are drinking.

Look for the triangle sign on the bottom of the bottle and you’ll see a number. The numbers under 5 will release the carcinogenic chemical (for most bottled water, the number is 1). If the number is higher than or equal to 5, the bottle is safe to use.

On the other hand, there are water bottles, such as sports drinks bottles that are generally designed for reuse. They’re made of heavier-duty plastic, have wider mouths, and are easier to sterilize – simply run them through a dishwasher or hand-wash them with very hot water and a scrub brush.

These days, with most city people preferring bottled water to tap water, you can imagine how many tons of plastic are used to bottle water every day. Surely, bottled water is the fastest-growing beverage industry in the world. Because most restaurants today don’t serve water unless you ask, diners are often forced to order mineral or bottled water. Yes, water can be very expensive these days.

Never trusting tap water, Pinoy households usually boil water for drinking. It’s a cheap alternative to bottled water, which is available everywhere – supermarkets, groceries, sari-sari stores, convenience stores, gasoline stations, even from ambulant street vendors.

Certainly, bottled water is winning the battle. Even Perrier, the world’s leading bottled water company with its iconic glass bottle (oui, that expensive spring water from the south of France), has launched a 50cl PET plastic. Care for Perrier in a plastic bottle?

Sadly, according to the International Bottled Water Association, plastic bottle recycling has not kept up with the increase in PET sales.

To quote a report on the web: "A close look at the myths about recycling shows they are being perpetrated less by those committed to ecology and more by those doing the most damage to the planet. Plastics recycling only minimally reduces the amount of virgin resources used to make plastics. Recycled plastic is a small percentage of what is manufactured and the amount is actually decreasing. Even those active in administering recycling programs have come to recognize, for instance, that plastics consumption is actually encouraged by recycling."

Paul Goettlich, who’s written extensively on plastics, zeroes in on the plasticization of our food and drink, nay, our lifestyle. "Plastic is used in contact with nearly all packaged foods. Most cardboard milk containers are now coated with plastic rather than wax. It is sprayed on both commercial and organic produce to preserve its freshness... "

So, what is plastic really made of?

Writes Paul, "All plastic manufacturers hide behind trade secrets. This is true with nearly all consumer products. It is quite impossible to know the chemical makeup of any plastic without paying a substantial amount of money for an independent lab analysis.

"In a nutshell, plastic is made by combining monomers into polymers under great heat and pressure in a process called polymerization. Each manufacturer has its own proprietary formula for each plastic. And each uses a variety of additives such as plasticizers for flexibility, UV filters for protection from sunlight, antistatic agents, flame-retardants, colorants, antioxidants, and more. Heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury, and lead are common additives. There are also chemicals used to facilitate production such as mold releases, and countless other toxic chemicals regularly added to plastic consumer goods without our knowledge or approval. Many of the products and by-products of the intermediary steps of plastics production are used in other plastics or industrial processes and products such as pesticides or fertilizers. For holistic thinkers, the mention of plastics and pesticides in the same sentence should begin an informative thought process, while keeping in mind that they all have complete regulatory approval."

So, what’s so bad about plastic?

Goettlich asserts, "For decades, the plastics industry has deceived us with assurances that the polymerization process binds the constituent chemicals together so perfectly that the resulting plastic is completely nontoxic and passes through us without a hitch. In spite of this industry disinformation, the polymerization process is never 100 percent perfect. Logically then, there are always toxicants available for migration into the many things they contact – your food, air, water, skin, and so on. Both the FDA and the industry know this. However, because of many millions of dollars worth of advertising and public relations work, consumers are educated to think that plastics are safe.

"The additives utilized are not bound to the already imperfect plastic, leaving them quite free to migrate. One quick example: without a plasticizer additive, PVC would be rigid. The plasticizer resides between the molecules of the PVC, acting as a lubricant that allows those molecules to slide by each other, and thus flex. Many containers used for food or water are made of it. Even Barbie dolls are made of it. The plasticizer migrates out from day one. And as it ages, the migration can visibly weep out of it.

"Plastics, their additives and other processing chemicals can be toxic at extremely low concentrations. In fact, some are significantly more toxic at extremely low concentrations than at much higher concentrations, which is contrary to the FDA scientist’s paradigm that, ‘The dose makes the poison,’ meaning that the higher the concentration, the more toxic something is. Except for chemical-by-chemical investigations by various independent, institutional, and academic labs, plastics are not explored for harmful effects or regulated in any meaningful way."

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