Vinegar

Vinegar

Ubana, A. (Photographer). (2018). Left to right: rice vinegar, coconut vinegar, white vinegar [photograph]. Calgary, Canada

Vinegar is a versatile solution in its many different forms. It can be used in cleaning¹, flavouring ^{2, 3}, pickling food^2,4 and as a preservative¹.  This diluted solution is made up of 95% water and 5% acetic acid. Acetic acid is also called ethanoic acid and glacial acetic acid, the latter is just acetic acid with less water content. The boiling point of acetic acid is 117.9 ℃⁵, however, when combined with water the boiling point is 100.6 ℃⁶. This is interesting but expected because vinegar is mostly water therefore the boiling point would be closer to that of water. 

Surprisingly, making vinegar involves the fermentation of yeast. Fermentation is just breaking down a substance that contains sugar into an alcohol. Alcohol is then broken down by the microorganism, Acetobacter, to make the vinegar². This process is done in many various ways, however, the most common is tfhe submerged process⁷. This process works by pouring alcohol into a tank from the top where the bacteria is allowed to break down this liquid⁸. Meanwhile, a stirrer at the bottom creates air bubbles which speeds up the process². This method is the best because it provides the highest concentration of acetic acid in the vinegar². Some items that can be broken down in the entire process is alcohol, rice, apples, coconuts and more⁹.

What’s interesting about vinegar is that it is actually made by an organism, yet it’s used to clean and kill other bacteria. Another interesting fact is that the Ancient Romans used ‘sugar of lead’, aka sapa, to sweeten their food and wine¹⁰. Sapa is a mix of lead and acetic acid. This sweetener was frequently used and it was thought to be a factor in the fall of the Roman Empire due to lead poisoning. Another interesting use of vinegar is to clean jellyfish wounds¹¹. A study found that vinegar stops the release of the poison from the tentacles. However, they found that it was also able to produce more poison. A different group of researchers said that this study was wrong because their math was incorrect and the production of more poison was not significant¹². Overall, vinegar is an all-purpose solution. It’s a great way to add flavour to food or to aid in cleaning. 

Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate

Does an unknown chemical in many soaps and shampoos cause hair Loss and cancer?! Continue Reading to Find Out!

 

A chemical compound named Ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS) is found in many products around the house, like soap, shampoo, makeup and facial cleansers. This compound is found in these products because they trap dirt and oil from surfaces like skin and hair and removes them when rinsed with water. ALS is also used in these products to produce foam when the solution is lathered on your hands or head to spread it's cleaning effect¹.

In low amounts ALS is harmless unless left on the skin without rinsing, where it could cause some irritation or stinging in the eyes². If consumed, it will cause vomiting and diarrhea². At high amount of ALS, it may burn, irritate and cause tissue damage on the skin, again if left without rinsing². This could potentially cause hair loss if used improperly over time, thus disrupting hair growth and eventually hair loss. The tissue damage could potentially cause mutations in the skin and potentially cause cancer because usually anything that would damage tissue would potentially lead to cancer due to increased chance of mutations². This would only be seen in high amounts of ALS, and even then, this is only a potential cause of cancer.

If you would like some alternative products that doesn’t use ALS, natural spa factory³ and Attitude⁴ uses products that use glucoside or sodium benzoate variations. Glucoside and sodium benzoate is a less aggressive chemical compound that produces similar effects. Though the effects are similar it won’t produce the same “cleaning” effects as ALS would produce.

Just remember ALS is harmless unless used in high concentrations and not rinsed shortly after use.

References:

¹Surfactants. Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry[Online]; Wiley & Sons, Posted 2000. https://doi-org.libproxy.mtroyal.ca/10.1002/14356007.a25_747

²Journal of the American College of Toxicology 1983, 2 (7), 127–181

³What are the alternatives to sodium lauryl sulfate shampoo? https://www.naturalspafactory.com/blog/alternatives-sodium-lauryl-sulfate-shampoo/ (accessed Dec 5, 2018).

⁴ATTITUDE Super Leaves Natural Shampoo & Body Wash 2-in-1 - Scalp Care. https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/product/741537/ATTITUDE_Super_Leaves_Natural_Shampoo_&_Body_Wash_2-in-1_-_Scalp_Care_/ (accessed Dec 5, 2018).