Is all Activated Carbon safe for consumption?

[agoutihead]

Activated Carbon is used for a variety of things, water, air & even medical.

But is all Activated Carbon the same in regards to being free from polutants & safe to consume? I know BBQ charcoal is soaked with petroleums & has heavy metals in it so this kind is clearly not safe or the right kind. But it's also not "Activated Carbon" either.

I work for one of the largest/best water filtration companies and we do whole house carbon units. I wanted to stock up on Activated Carbon for my medical kit and I could get as much as I wanted for free.

But I wanted to make sure that all forms of Activated Carbon are safe & ok. I haven't done any research with my company's carbon yet to see who makes it & what it's made from, but will try to do so this week.

But I assume if we are using it in water filters for peoples water that they will then consume that it has to be ok and is in fact the good Activated Carbon I'm looking for?

Thanks.

 

[disc1]

I wouldn't assume so.

 

[bertoni]

I wouldn't use it, either. There are too many things that could cause problems.

 

[dkeller_nc]

If you mean is "all activated carbon intended for potable water filtration safe for use in a reef tank", then I would give that a qualified "yes". But that's not the same as "is it advisable to use such carbon for a reef tank".

The problem is that most GAC intended for potable water purification is made from coconut husks, and washed in phosphoric acid. Brita water pitchers, for example, exclusively use coconut husk carbon. And while safe from the standpoint of heavy metal contamination, the problem with using carbon derived and processed in this manner is that it could leach a good bit of phosphate into your tank water.

Better to just spend the small amount of $$ to buy Seachem's Matrix or BRS's ROX.

 

[disc1]

I think the op is not asking about reed tanks at all. I believe the op is asking about taking said carbon internally. And I think the op is asking the wrong forum entirely. If I'm putting something into my body I want to know it is safe. There's no way I'm going to just assume that every manufacturer of carbon out there is making something that is safe to eat.

 

[Osteoclast]

I agree this is not a health forum. But a few points need to be made for those reef enthusiasts without knowledge of its purpose in medicine.

Activated carbon, pharmaceutical grade, is an important tool in the Emergency room. It is often used in acute poisonings and is an effective agent for a variety of drugs and toxins. It adsorbs many drugs in the stomach thereby preventing gastrointestinal absorption, further doses are typically given with a cathartic such as sorbitol. Bowel perforations have occurred in this setting even with sorbitol thus patients need to be closely observed for this complication.

Carbon, food grade, is sold by vitamin/herbal companies for a variety of conditions with limited data: hypercholesterolemia, abdominal gas, cholestasis, hangovers, etc. There is insufficient evidence to promote charcoal's use in these settings. Moreover, food grade products suffer from quality control issues and contaminants have been recovered from products sold in the US. Nevertheless, since our laws were modified in 1994 regarding the regulation of OTC agents the use of ingested charcoals has increased significantly.

Similarily, water filtration carbons differ widely in their purity and quality control. I, as one who has treated ingestions with activated carbon and who has witnessed bowel perforation complications would not ingest any current OTC charcoal product sold for any reason. Certainly, I would permit its use in an emergency but there is no need to stock it in mine or anyone's medical kit unless that individual practices emergency medicine and then it should be pharmaceutical grade. In any event, I see no reason to keep it around the house for this use.

I do keep a large stock of Rox carbon for my reef and change it out religiously.

 

[hogfanreefer]

I agree this is not a health forum. But a few points need to be made for those reef enthusiasts without knowledge of its purpose in medicine.

Activated carbon, pharmaceutical grade, is an important tool in the Emergency room. It is often used in acute poisonings and is an effective agent for a variety of drugs and toxins. It adsorbs many drugs in the stomach thereby preventing gastrointestinal absorption, further doses are typically given with a cathartic such as sorbitol. Bowel perforations have occurred in this setting even with sorbitol thus patients need to be closely observed for this complication.

Carbon, food grade, is sold by vitamin/herbal companies for a variety of conditions with limited data: hypercholesterolemia, abdominal gas, cholestasis, hangovers, etc. There is insufficient evidence to promote charcoal's use in these settings. Moreover, food grade products suffer from quality control issues and contaminants have been recovered from products sold in the US. Nevertheless, since our laws were modified in 1994 regarding the regulation of OTC agents the use of ingested charcoals has increased significantly.

Similarily, water filtration carbons differ widely in their purity and quality control. I, as one who has treated ingestions with activated carbon and who has witnessed bowel perforation complications would not ingest any current OTC charcoal product sold for any reason. Certainly, I would permit its use in an emergency but there is no need to stock it in mine or anyone's medical kit unless that individual practices emergency medicine and then it should be pharmaceutical grade. In any event, I see no reason to keep it around the house for this use.

I do keep a large stock of Rox carbon for my reef and change it out religiously.

This^^^

Using anything but pharmaceutical grade activated charcoal in anything but an absolute emergency would be indefensible.

 

[dkeller_nc]

I believe the op is asking about taking said carbon internally. And I think the op is asking the wrong forum entirely.

Yeah, I thought the same thing, which is why I answered in reef tank terms.

 

[agoutihead]

Activated carbon, pharmaceutical grade, is an important tool in the Emergency room. It is often used in acute poisonings and is an effective agent for a variety of drugs and toxins. It adsorbs many drugs in the stomach thereby preventing gastrointestinal absorption, further doses are typically given with a cathartic such as sorbitol. Bowel perforations have occurred in this setting even with sorbitol thus patients need to be closely observed for this complication.

Carbon, food grade, is sold by vitamin/herbal companies for a variety of conditions with limited data: hypercholesterolemia, abdominal gas, cholestasis, hangovers, etc. There is insufficient evidence to promote charcoal's use in these settings. Moreover, food grade products suffer from quality control issues and contaminants have been recovered from products sold in the US. Nevertheless, since our laws were modified in 1994 regarding the regulation of OTC agents the use of ingested charcoals has increased significantly.

Similarily, water filtration carbons differ widely in their purity and quality control. I, as one who has treated ingestions with activated carbon and who has witnessed bowel perforation complications would not ingest any current OTC charcoal product sold for any reason. Certainly, I would permit its use in an emergency but there is no need to stock it in mine or anyone's medical kit unless that individual practices emergency medicine and then it should be pharmaceutical grade. In any event, I see no reason to keep it around the house for this use.

I do keep a large stock of Rox carbon for my reef and change it out religiously.

After reading some more about bowel perforations, it seems it is more of a common factor with a patient with chrons's disease or diverticulitis, not normal "healthy" individuals?

Activated charcoal has been used all over the world for many years as more than just in the event of an emergency. It really has a lot of promise or it wouldn't be used today. When in the event of an emergency I believe they really over-load the body with it to help from dieing, but in smaller doses for non-life threatening situations, it can really be a benefit.

I will agree that pharmaceutical grade is best for consumption, but it's a very useful, natural tool to help many stomach/internal issues when sick.

 

[cjcolvin]

If it is to be consumed then the carbon needs to be finely ground, almost in a powder form and should be mixed into a slurry with water. We used to give all the junkies this when we picked them up when i used to work for the local ambulance service. Stains the teeth a nice black.

 

[hogfanreefer]

Activated charcoal has been used all over the world for many years as more than just in the event of an emergency. It really has a lot of promise or it wouldn't be used today.

So has bear gall bladder and a host of other remedies.

What osteoclast (love the handle) was saying is that it's use in anything other than to absorb toxins/drug over doses/etc. has limited to no scientific evidence to back up it's use.

Millions of people take multivitamins and the vast majority neither need them or get any benefit from them.