raysouth Report post Posted January 29, 2015 Read an article yesterday, about "tater tots", and learned a good bit, especially that I don't think I will eat them again. A combination of chemicals are used in the process but I have no idea what they might be. One of the compounds is used to remove hair from poultry and other carcasses after slaughter. I don't think I will need any hair removed from my internals any time soon, I hope. lol. The compound or substance is also used to remove stains from leather and wondering just what it might be. DISODIUM DIHYDROGEN PYROPHOSPHATE is the substance used. Portions of the words are familiar but as a whole I have zero knowledge. Anyone care to shed some light here? God Bless. Ray Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rawcustom Report post Posted January 29, 2015 Been a few years since organic chemistry, and I don't have anything particular to add about disodium pyrophosphate other than this, don't judge it by the name. I know we are living in an age where people are looking to identify evil "chemicals" in everything we use and eat, but chemical names always sound unnatural, and most are quick to assume they are straight from some toxic refinery. It is added to hashbrowns to prevent darkening. I can't say I agree with it's necessity, as I'm more concerned with flavor than appearance, but many people would see dark brown frozen taters and assume they are spoiled. Did you know many people add 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid to keep apples from darkening? I'm guilty of this myself. I have to say that dark dried apples don't bother me, I just like the flavor of apples with lemon juice. Perhaps someone more current on their organic chem can inform us more of this particular compound. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mlapaglia Report post Posted January 29, 2015 Its use in leather cleaning is limited to removing iron stains. Its also a popular ingredient in backing powder. Personally Id stick to Oxalic acid for cleaning leather. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted January 29, 2015 20something years I saw this "Warning: This bag contains Silicate dust, a product known to the State of California to cause Cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm." . . . On a bag of SAND. I just quit caring after learning that Dirt causes cancer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tramps Leatherworking Report post Posted January 29, 2015 Mike , did you learn that after discovering the Sun causes cancer also? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rawcustom Report post Posted January 29, 2015 20something years I saw this "Warning: This bag contains Silicate dust, a product known to the State of California to cause Cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm." I used to read that on nearly every canister or container we had in the shop. I always thought we were safe as long as we stayed away from California? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raysouth Report post Posted January 29, 2015 (edited) I really have no comment about good or bad chemicals but do like to know what they are. Lemon Juice? Removing iron stains? Okay, but still no idea what it is. Silica dust is bad news, as well as most dust particles ingested in high concentrations. Even leather dust not good for the lungs. Coal dust not good and sure there are some miners that can verify that. Many exotic woods have dangerous dust when being cut or sanded. The list goes on and on and we just have to take our chances and make attempts to protect ourselves. Yes, I suppose that everyone has heard about the harmful effects of to much sun but I would rather see it shining than not. Not into tanning thing and not out in it as much as I would like to be. Playing with leather and pyrography, I try to keep myself "safe" and do like to know best ways to do that. Yes, I play with leather as I am not an artisan, as many folks are on the site. So many outstanding works of art here the site as a whole is better than a museum. Y'all be good and fill me in on what the stuff is, okay? God Bless. Ray Edited January 29, 2015 by raysouth Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rawcustom Report post Posted January 29, 2015 (edited) Did not mean any offense Ray, just trying to point out that chemical names can sound more devious than the common names. For example I listed 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid because that is scary sounding chemical name, when it is only citric acid (lemons). If you're going to make a habit of exposing yourself to most any type of chemical or dust, you should take precautions. I try to be consistent wearing a respirator when I'm grinding steel. I doubt the metal will cause me much issue, but the abrasive dust if exposed to enough over sufficient time will be a problem. I always wear gloves when handling glues and dyes, and that should be fine until the chemical in the gloves gets to me. These topics always make me think back to the timeless saying of "everything in moderation". Edited January 29, 2015 by rawcustom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tramps Leatherworking Report post Posted January 29, 2015 Ray, Disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate is one of dozens of varieties of phosphates used as food additives. It’s derived from mined phosphate rock which is purified to isolate the phosphorous and further processed to add sodium or other desired molecules. “It is basically a mineral that comes out of the ground and is then processed into a synthetic chemical." Phosphates are used for an array of reasons, serving as leavening agents to fluff up foods, in nondairy creamers to reduce acidity, in lunchmeat to keep it moist, in bread to keep it from molding, and in cheese to help it keep its shape. It’s also used to prevent potato products from blackening and to keep tuna from discoloring or drying out. I think I would worry more about being ran over by people driving and texting on cell phones... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
camano ridge Report post Posted January 29, 2015 (edited) If you are looking for a common name liek lemon juice it does not have one, it is sometimes called sodium acid. It is derived from mined phosphate. It is also phound in canned seafood and is used as a leavening agent in making bread. THere are many phosphate derivatives used in food. DISODIUM DIHYDROGEN PYROPHOSPHATE is characterized as GRAS (generaly reagarded as safe) There are warnings that excessive use can cause mineral imbalance in the body and bone loss. Edited January 29, 2015 by camano ridge Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TexasJack Report post Posted January 30, 2015 Yeah, I do possess a degree in chemistry. Everything is made up of chemicals. Some are very bad for you, some are OK, and some totally depend on the dosage. The chemical you are concerned about is commonly used in baking powder and is, as camano ridge pointed out, generally regarded as safe. Among other things it is a chelating agent which means it binds to metal atoms and forms a large molecule that can be washed away. (Chelate comes from the Greek word for "claw".) You'll often see sodium EDTA, which is also a chelating agent, in bread. It's also the chemical given to people who have heavy metal poisoning (like lead). Your stomach contains hydrochloric acid for digesting food. Hydrochloric acid (sometimes referred to by it's old name "muriatic acid") is often used to remove iron stains. Best example of the effect of dosage I ever heard was this: If you take one aspirin per day, after 10 years you will have consumed 3,652 aspirin and unless you are allergic to the stuff or have stomach ulcers, you will not see any adverse effects. However, if you sit down and try to eat 3,652 aspirin at one time, you will have a very adverse effect - it will kill you. So something like disodium pyrophosphate that you normally only consume in small quantities is not going to affect your health, despite the fact that in high concentrations it can be used for cleaning out rust stains. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raysouth Report post Posted January 30, 2015 THANK YOU ONE AND ALL. I knew the answer was somewhere on this site. I agree with the statement, everything in moderation, for the most part. Have abused some things that would not be considered as moderation but no regrets to date. Tramps, I do worry about those on cel phones, texting while in motion. See a lot of it and at times has been a disaster for folks. Rawcustom, you did not offend and appreciate the comments you made. We have to keep a bit of good cheer in the air and enjoy what we have. Twin Oaks, what doesn't cause cancer these days? Might be easier to explain. I'll stay out of the dirt, regardless. If I got down and in it, I wouldn't be able to get up again. lol. TexasJack, I thank you and will do my best to stay away from the aspirin. Don't go well with my warfarin, another chemical composition I use daily. lol. Did use a bit of muriatic acid in days of yore. Could have saved a few bucks if I could get it out of my stomach. lol. Life is wonderful and so happy to know all of you and to be on this site. Thanks again and god Bless. Ray Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billybopp Report post Posted January 30, 2015 This thread reminds me of the two little ol' ladies that were poking around a funeral parlor while waiting for mourners to show up for their friend. The walked into one of the other rooms, and saw a man lying in his casket, looking just terrible. They asked the funeral director what had happened to him, and he replied "He stopped eating and using all of the things that they said were bad for him.". Bill Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TexasJack Report post Posted January 31, 2015 There was a Woody Allen movie - back when he was funny - called "Sleeper" (I think). In it, the main character is frozen and then thawed out in the future. As the doctors are reviewing what's in his stomach (like granola) one of them says something like, "That was back before we found out Twinkies and HoHos were health foods." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raysouth Report post Posted January 31, 2015 You guys are a riot. Love it. Billybopp, I was affiliated with the funeral industry for some time and one day I was standing next to an embalmer and someone we knew asked him what happened to "joe", (just picked a name), and in his usual dry demeanor simply said, "he died". Talk about dry humor. Texasjack, you mean they aren't actually health food? Shucks------ God Bless. Ray Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
