Warning! Nanotechnology Used in Covid Vaccines
If youre one of those people that can often be found in the
food aisles of grocery stores reading labels and looking for
ingredients you cant pronounce and dont want to eat,
youve most likely noticed several ingredients that,
unbeknownst to you, are made using nanotechnology a process
that converts silver, copper, gold, aluminum, silicon, carbon,
and metal oxides, among other metals, into atom-sized particles
that are one-billionth of a meter in size (
https://bit.ly/38DQm2Z).
Commonly used nano-sized ingredients include titanium dioxide,
which may be the most well-known additive. Others, such as silicon
oxide, calcium carbonate, iron oxides and hydroxides, calcium
silicate, tricalcium phosphates, and synthetic silicas, are only
a few of the additives that may be in your pantry right now.
A New Ingredient
Nanotechnology has become widely used in food production and
manufacturing since the 1990s, and its components are unimaginably
small one-hundredth the size of a strand of human hair. They make
our food more colorful, brighter, creamier, or crunchier, and they
keep it fresher for longer as well.
Nano-sized additives also make some of our medicines more effective.
Nanotechnology is used in the manufacturing of everyday products,
such as electronics, food and food packaging, medicine, toys,
clothing, sunscreens, cosmetics, dietary supplements, and much
more.
While they can provide a myriad of benefits, these increasingly
popular product enhancers come at a price, according to consumer
groups and health expertsand that price is our health.
Health Implications
Because these particles are so small, studies have shown that they
can breach the blood-brain barrier. Researchers are already exploring
this quality for drugs meant to treat neurological conditions. But
when it comes to food, thats not a feature anyone is asking for.
These particles are also able to circulate throughout the body and
get absorbed into the bloodstream and organs. They can penetrate
cell walls and potentially create inflammation and disease.
They may pass through the lining of the gut and enter the
bloodstream, which may trigger an inflammatory or immune response,
Harvard School of Public Healths Georgios Pyrgiotakis told WebMD.
They may also build up in various parts of the body, including the
lungs, the heart, and reproductive organs.
In a July 2020 study, a group of researchers at the University of
Massachusetts Amherst found that titanium dioxide, which is commonly
added to gum, candy, drinks, and desserts, caused changes in the gut
microorganisms of two groups of mice.
Both were given doses of titanium oxide. One group was fed a low-fat
diet and the other a high-fat diet. After further testing to isolate the
titanium dioxide effect, both groups had inflamed colons, which can
lead to abdominal pain and diarrhea. The obese mice had more
pronounced symptoms.
Vaccine Technology
Nanotechnology is currently being used in two of the three mRNA
COVID-19 vaccines being given in the United States today.
Theres a lipid nanoparticle coating surrounding the mRNA in the
vaccines, which allows them to penetrate the cells wall.
Lipid nanoparticles are a vital component of the Pfizer/BioNTech
and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, playing a key role in
protecting and transporting the mRNA effectively to the right place
in cells, stated the Chemical Abstracts Service, a division of the
American Chemical Society.
Of the many COVID-19 vaccines under development, the two
vaccines that have shown the most promising results in preventing
COVID-19 infection represent a new class of vaccine products:
They are composed of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) strands
ncapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNP).
But scientists have continued to call for greater oversight of these
substances by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because
of their size. Because they easily cross the blood-brain barrier,
they may damage it by altering the layer of cells that line the inner
wall of blood vessels.
FDA Looks Closer
The FDA, the agency charged with overseeing these additives, has
begun to weigh the health risks from nano-sized additives.
The agency currently classifies nanoparticles in food with the
designation Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) if the manufacturer
is already using the same ingredient in its larger, conventional form.
The particle size distribution of a food substance may affect its
ability to be absorbed by the body or to migrate from food packaging
into food, the FDA stated in a 2007 guidance document on
nanotechnology in food.
The FDA does not categorically judge all products nanomaterial
or otherwise involving application of nanotechnology as intrinsically
benign or harmful. The FDA is monitoring the evolving science and
has a robust research agenda to help assess the safety and
effectiveness of products using nanotechnology.
In 2011, the FDA Nanotechnology Task Force was created to
coordinate its efforts with research scientists in the United States
and internationally. Its goals are to train staff in the latest
science at state-of-the-art facilities and to encourage collaborative
research projects.
Production and application of nanoparticles in consumer products
is at an all-time high due to the emerging field of nanotechnology,
the FDA stated in a 2017 Grand Rounds webcast. Direct detection
and quantification of trace levels of nanoparticles within consumer
products is very challenging and problematic.
Tiny Particles, Growing Problem
By 2020, the FDA reported that applications for the approval of
products containing nanotechnology had skyrocketed in the previous
10 years. According to many experts in the United States, there are
1,900 to 2,500 food products that use nanotechnology.
In response to health concerns about these products, countries around
the world have taken steps to limit or ban some or all nanotechnology
in their food.
In 2010, Canada banned nanotechnology in organic food production.
Since 2011, the European Union has required all food to be labeled
if it contains engineered nanomaterials. In 2015, the bloc required
additional testing to ensure health safety.
In 2018, the European Food Safety Commission was petitioned by
a group of scientists within the agency to reject the food additive
silicon dioxide as safe for consumption because of nanoparticles
in it, until a particle size distribution could be confirmed.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2020, France banned any foods containing titanium
dioxide from entering the country.
In the United States, the FDA doesnt require any products produced
with nanoparticles to be labeled or banned, and its guidelines
recommend oversight on a case-by-case basis. Research on the
long-term effects of ingesting nanoparticles remains scant.
