Activated
charcoal can be found almost everywhere: in toothpaste, skin care products,
baked goods, beverages and water filtration systems. Here's what you need to
know about this seemingly ubiquitous ingredient.
What makes it activated?
Activated
charcoal is created from carbon-rich materials burned at high temperatures,
according to the National Capital Poison Center (Poison Control). For example,
carbon-rich materials such as wood, coconut shells or coal, are burned at a
high temperature (between 600 and 900 degrees Celsius or 1,110 and 1,650
degrees Fahrenheit) to create a charcoal powder.
The charcoal
powder is then typically charred with some additional material, such as
chloride salts, to help create the porous structure, according David O.
Cooney's book "Activated Charcoal: Antidote, Remedy and Health Aid"
(TEACH Services, Inc., 2016). The excess material is then washed away with a
dilute acid solution to leave the pure carbon. The charcoal can further be
treated to create a finer network of pores, and therefore additional surface
area, by exposing it to an oxidizing gas, such as steam or carbon dioxide.
So much
additional surface area is created during the activation process that 50 grams
of activated charcoal (which is about the weight of 20 U.S. pennies) has 17.5
times more surface area than a full-size football field, according to a 2016
study in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.
What is activated charcoal good
for?
Health
professionals administer activated charcoal to patients who have overdosed with
certain drugs or have been poisoned, according to Poison Control. The fine
powder is often mixed with water or other liquid and drunk by the patient or
given via a feeding tube to clean out the gastrointestinal tract as an
alternative to stomach pumping.
The
activated charcoal acts like a sponge: Toxin particles bind to the surface of
the activated charcoal so that the toxin is less likely to be absorbed into the
body. This works best with toxins that contain organic particles (which are
compounds that contain carbon and are usually bonded with oxygen, hydrogen or
nitrogen). Depending on the type of overdose or toxin, a single dose of activated
charcoal can be a very effective treatment if given quickly enough.
Poison
Control recommends that people don't try to use activated charcoal at home to
treat a potential overdose or toxin ingestion. Most activated charcoal
available over the counter is not as "activated" as what would be
given in the emergency room, and it may not be the best solution for your
ailment.
Related: The
5 Most Poisonous Substances: From Polonium to Mercury
There is
very little scientific evidence showing that activated charcoal is effective
for things like high cholesterol, diarrhea or constipation, gas or indigestion,
or that it prevents hangovers (activated charcoal does not bind with alcohol)
or promotes wound healing, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
There's no
research to suggest that activated charcoal should be consumed as part of a
so-called "detox" diet, or that it's healthy to consume activated
charcoal at all if you're not poisoned. In fact, it's probably unhealthy to
consume it if you don't need it. A 2007 study published in the Journal of Food
Quality found that activated charcoal eliminated the healthy vitamins found in
apple juice.
Activated
charcoal is also commonly found in water filtration systems, respiratory masks
and air filters. Just as it removes toxins from our body, the activated
charcoal attracts and binds to contaminants in water and air including radon,
fuels, solvents and many industrial and radioactive chemicals, and protects us
against breathing or ingesting them, according to the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Activated
charcoal can be an effective emergency treatment for people who have been
poisoned or overdosed on drugs. But there's no scientific data to suggest that
it's beneficial to consume activated charcoal in something like lemonade, or
any other food or beverage product that's part of a normal diet.
What is activated charcoal not
good for?
Activated
charcoal can now readily be found in many over-the-counter health and beauty
products, including toothpaste. Most charcoal-containing toothpastes are incredibly
abrasive to tooth enamel and can lead to highly sensitive teeth, which are
yellowed due to stripped enamel and more prone to dental decay, according to
Benjamin Schwartz, a doctor of dental surgery and a clinical assistant
professor at Touro College of Dental Medicine at New York Medical College.
"There
are very few clinical studies that outline long-term benefits of charcoal
toothpastes. Instead, many of those studies show long-term risks with prolonged
use of charcoal toothpaste," Shwartz said.
In addition,
most activated charcoal toothpastes do not contain fluoride and may even
reverse the benefits of fluoride, which is a key ingredient for preventing
dental cavities.
Related:
Chew on This: 8 Foods for Healthy Teeth
Activated
charcoal can be found in everything from shampoos and conditioners to facial
washes and masks, with claims that it can soak up excess oils and other
impurities. While activated charcoal may be relatively safe when used
topically, there is no clinical evidence to support the claim that activated
charcoal does anything to eliminate cosmetic imperfections, according to a 2019
study in the journal Clinics in Dermatology.
Many
companies advertise the presence of activated charcoal in their product and
claim that their offering is therefore antiviral, antibacterial or antifungal.
But there is scant scientific evidence that these products provide any health
benefits, Schwartz said.
"The
charcoal does absorb other minerals, so theoretically it can absorb and
inactivate bacterial or viral cells, but to what extent is anyone's guess,"
he said. "And what is stopping the charcoal from then inactivating the
healthy bacteria that reside in the oral cavity?"
If the
claims promoting activated charcoal in toothpaste as well as other health and
beauty products could somehow magically become substantiated by science, it
would be a really big deal, Schwartz said. "If we could use a toothpaste
that would selectively attack the microscopic offender, then the fight against
dental disease would be much easier to win!"
Additional
resources:
Learn more
about the administration of activated charcoal for medical conditions from the Mayo Clinic.
·
Here's a
summary of a variety of previous and ongoing studies on the health effects of
activated charcoal from Healthy but Smart.
·
Watch:
"Is Eating Activated Charcoal Safe?" from UW Medicine.
From source:
https://www.livescience.com/activated-charcoal.html
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