FORMALDEHYDE!

Formaldehyde! No! Not added in the wines offered in our exclusive Wine Club Membership Only. Our winemakers use a method of wine making that goes back way before Biblical times. That time-tested method is a natural, slow, patient method that produces the very best, most health beneficial true fine wine that can be produced in our time. One health benefit is a digestive aid. These fine wines are something everyone should experience, savor, and share. To acquire the true fine wines check it out here!

Formaldehyde (CH2O)

Formaldehyde is a substance made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. It is found naturally in every living system – from plants to animals to humans in low levels! Formaldehyde is commonly found in the environment due to natural processes, like forest fires, and is released into the air via industrial emissions. It is also a combustible ingredient in tobacco.

Here are some ways it is produced naturally;

  • Decaying of plants
  • Living organism produce small amounts.
  • Forest fires
  • gas engine emissions

The wine you find in the grocery stores and liquor stores and such also have formalehyde in them. This give one pause for drinking the number one favorite beverage in the world. It is refreshing to know that there are still some winemakers who rely on the true natural aging process devoid of all chemicals.

Here are ways in which people are exposed to formaldehyde;

  • Inhaling formaldehyde gas or vapors in the air.
  • Smoking; first- and second-hand smoke.
  • By absorbing liquids by mouth or through the skin containing formaldehyde.
  • Exposure to products containing formaldehyde due to their work environment.
  • i.e., laboratory technicians, mortuary employees, some health care professionals, leather processing/preserving are exposed to higher and more dangerous levels of this chemical.

The general public can be exposed to this volatile chemical formaldehyde;

  • Building materials. i.e. resins in composition plywood, paper products, and wall paper, particle board,
  • Household products: paint, paper products, wallpaper.
  • Consumer products: preservatives in medicines, cosmetics (Mary Kay was one of the first) personal care products, i.e. lotions, shampoos, conditioners, shower gels.
  • Emitions from: unvented fuel-burning gas stoves, kerosene heaters and lamps, gasoline engine exhaust
  • Fertilizers and pesticides: used as an industrial fungicide, germicide, and disinfectant.
  • Mortuaries and medical laboratories: used as a preservative in embalming fluids.
  • Used in certain beverages as a preservative agent.

When individuals are exposed to air levels above 0.03 – 0.1 ppm, they may experience adverse effects as watery or burning sensation of the eyes, nose, and throat. Also, coughing, wheezing, nausea, and skin irritation. Some individuals are more sensitive than others to the exposure of formaldehyde. In 1987, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified formaldehyde as a probable human carcinogen under conditions of unusually high or prolonged exposure.

Long-term and Short-term exposure effects:

  • Classified as a human carcinogen
  • Can be fatal.
  • May cause respiratory difficulty, eczema, and sensitization.
  • Irritates eyes, and throat
  • Headache, runny nose,
  • Nausea,
  •  Difficulty breathing.  
  •  Wheezing
  • Asthma attacks
  • Other respiratory symptoms.
  • Causes certain cancers.

Even though formaldehyde is touted as a natural substance which is found in nature, it is a colorless, strong-smelling, volatile, toxic, highly flammable chemical substance that can cause cancer. It is on the Proposition 65 list of chemicals that all businesses must warn the public about if it poses a significant exposure risk.

That poses the questions;

Who determine what is considered a ‘significant exposure risk’? Who regulates the companies using this human carcinogen?

Some of the cancers associated with high levels of exposure to formaldehyde are:

  • myeloid leukemia, and rare cancers, including Brain tumors
  • lymphatic cancers develop in the tissues and organs, white blood cells that fight infection.
  • cancer of the paranasal sinuses, nasal cavity, and nasopharynx.
  • Hematopoietic and lymphatic cancers develop in the blood and bone marrow

Formaldehyde can be found in wine.

Formaldehyde can form in wine during alcoholic fermentation when methanol oxidizes, or it can come from disinfectants that contain formaldehyde. It can also be addedd as a preservative. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies formaldehyde as “carcinogenic to humans” and has linked it to leukemia and nasopharyngeal cancer. The US EPA’s reference dose for chronic oral exposure to formaldehyde is 0.2 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day. 

Its average concentration is 1.15 micrograms per gram (µg/g). However, the concentration of formaldehyde in wine can vary depending on the type of wine:

White wine has higher levels of formaldehyde than red wine, and light exposure can increase the formaldehyde content.

Fruit wine has the highest average formaldehyde concentration of all alcoholic beverages, at 1.71 µg/g

Formaldehyde levels in alcoholic beverages:

  • Fruit wine had the highest average formaldehyde concentration (1.71 µg/g), followed by wine (1.15 µg/g),
  • Cheongju (Type, Rice wine. Country of origin, Korea.) (0.95 µg/g),
  • Soju (is a clear and colorless distilled alcoholic beverage, traditionally made from rice, but later from other grains and has a flavor similar to vodka.) (0.85 µg/g),
  •  Takju (a Korean rice wine that is milky, sweet, and cloudy in appearance. The name takju literally means “opaque wine”, and the drink is a beloved part of Korean culture with a history that dates back centuries.) (0.64 µg/g),
  • The highest concentration of 11.17 µg/g is found in fruit wine.
  • and beer (0.61 µg/g).

Are there still true, formaldehyde free, fine wines?

Unequivocally yes! We can still find winemakers or vintners who do not processed their wines with formaldehyde nor do their wines contain it. Vinters in Europe forbid the use of formaldehyde in their wines. They still use the same method of wine making that goes back way before Biblical time. There are a few vintners in the USA who still use the time-honored method of natural aging of wine done without the use of this deadly carcinogen. Prohibitions lost the slow aging method in the USA. Fortunate, winemakers are, once again, using the time-tested meghod of slow aging.

Excelent fine wines discovered!

Our very own oenophile or wine aficionado search the USA wine country looking for wine using the time-tested method of natural, formaldehyde-free, slow aging process. And he found what he sought, right here in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys in California. Some of the best Fine Wines come from Napa and Sonoma Valleys in California. These wines are as excellent a wine as you can find anywhere. Our winemakers use a method of wine making that goes back way before Biblical times. Before people in white lab coats with bunson burners and beacers looked for faster way to produce wine.That time-tested method is a natural, slow, patient method that produces the very best, most health beneficial true fine wine that can be produced in our time.

The winemakers of our private label, True, Fine Wines, are available to our Exclusive Wine Club Members only. They are a premium example of this type of wine. As an exclusive wine club member, you will receive notification of the next available wine selections. Depending on the current choices, you may be able to select from white, red, or rosé. This private-label wine has been in existence for 17 years. We welcome you to join our wine club and encourage you to try a truly fine wine made using traditional, time-proven methods. Your taste buds will thank you for giving them such a treat. Check out this exclusive membership here.

Now, Let’s Talk About Formaldehyde in our Food.

Formaldehyde is used as a preservative! The same chemical used to tan leather is also used as a preservative and germicide in the food we eat daily. It works by killing bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms and is often used at concentrations known as formalin (a 37% aqueous solution). 

  Selected References:

  • National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. Formaldehyde, Workplace Safety and Health Topics. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
  • National Toxicology Program. Formaldehyde, Report on Carcinogens, Fifteenth Edition. Triangle Park, NC: National Institute of Environmental Health and Safety, 2021.
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Formaldehyde. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2013.
  • U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission,
  • National Toxicology Program, an interagency program of the Department of Health and Human Services, named formaldehyde as a known human carcinogen in its 12th Report on Carcinogens (3).

The EPA offers information about the use of formaldehyde in building materials and household products. Contact the EPA can at:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Radiation and Indoor Air
Indoor Environments Division
Mail Code 6609J
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
Washington, DC 20460
202–554–1404 (EPA Toxic Substance Control Act (TCSA) Assistance Line)
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/formalde.html

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has information about household products that contain formaldehyde.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
4330 East West Highway
Bethesda, MD 20814
1–800–638–2772 (1–800–638–CPSC)
301–595–7054 (TTY)
http://www.cpsc.gov

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains information about cosmetics and drugs that contain formaldehyde.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration
10903 New Hampshire Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20993–0002
1–888–463–6332 (1–888–INFO–FDA)
http://www.fda.gov

The Federal Emergency Management Agency;

The FEMA has information about formaldehyde exposure levels in mobile homes and trailers supplied by FEMA after Hurricane Katrina.

Federal Emergency Management Agency
Post Office Box 10055
Hyattsville, MD 20782–7055
1–800–621–3362 (1–800–621–FEMA)
http://www.fema.gov

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has information about occupational exposure limits for formaldehyde. contacted OSHA at: https://www.osha.gov/formaldehyde/hazards#

U.S. Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
200 Constitution Avenue
Washington, DC 20210
1–800–321–6742 (1–800–321–OSHA)
http://www.osha.gov

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) is an interagency program of the Department of Health and Human Services that was created to coordinate toxicology testing programs within the federal government; to develop and validate improved testing methods; and to provide information about potentially toxic chemicals to health, regulatory, and research agencies, scientific and medical communities, and the public. NTP is headquartered at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, which is part of NIH. NTP can be contacted at:

National Toxicology Program
111 TW Alexander Drive
Building 101
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
919–541–0530
http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov

Author: Candy

Posted On: August 15, 2024 @ 5:50 pm