5 replies to this topic

[algae]

I'm researching contamination of various kelps available online. Heavy metals, especially arsenic, are present in kelp and radioactive isotopes, flourines and bromine can also be present. Sea veggies sponge up various things in the sea, which is why they are so nutritious and potentially dangerous. Some sea veggies, notably nori, concentrate radioactive isotopes by hundreds or even thousands of times. The recent Fukushima disaster is very concerning to me. The radiation has spread to many parts of the world, and many seaweeds are harvested right outside of Japan! Industry, radiation, other contamination, and even natural sources of heavy metals are all of concern. Organic heavy metals are less toxic than inorganic, though.

I'm looking the least contaminated kelp powder or capsule available. I'm pretty sure Iceland would be my best bet, and the Laminaria digitata species generally contains the most iodine and calcium, so unless anyone has other suggestions, I'm looking for an Icelandic Laminaria digitata kelp. I've contacted a few suppliers for lab MDS, and only received one so far (I'll post it if anyone's interested). It looks OK except that it's from Canada and has 26.3ppm arsenic which is higher than I'd like, but only .1ppm is inorganic.

Anyone know of a source for uncontaminated kelp?

[algae]

I meant lab COA, Certificate of Analysis, not MDS

[niner]

Organic heavy metals are less toxic than inorganic, though.

It's the other way around. Methylmercury is an organic compound, and it is way more toxic than inorganic mercury.

[algae]

Although the report has several methodologic shortcomings, the most serious flaw is the authors’ failure to recognize that the arsenic most commonly found in seaweed and seafood products is relatively nontoxic. This is in contrast to inorganic arsenic, which has well-documented acute and chronic toxicity. Amster et al. (2007) did not discuss the possibility that the arsenic measured in the kelp supplement was in the organic form, nor did they address the great variability in toxicity among arsenic compounds. These two oversights lead to the unsupported conclusion that the arsenic found in kelp is responsible for the unique set of medical conditions observed in their patient.

https://www.ncbi.nlm...les/PMC2137100/

[niner]

Although the report has several methodologic shortcomings, the most serious flaw is the authors’ failure to recognize that the arsenic most commonly found in seaweed and seafood products is relatively nontoxic. This is in contrast to inorganic arsenic, which has well-documented acute and chronic toxicity. Amster et al. (2007) did not discuss the possibility that the arsenic measured in the kelp supplement was in the organic form, nor did they address the great variability in toxicity among arsenic compounds. These two oversights lead to the unsupported conclusion that the arsenic found in kelp is responsible for the unique set of medical conditions observed in their patient.

https://www.ncbi.nlm...les/PMC2137100/

While this is true for arsenic (which is a metalloid, like silicon or germanium, not a heavy metal), it's not a general rule. When you see the word "organic" in the scientific literature, it's referring to compounds that contain carbon, not (necessarily) compounds that come from plants or animals. Living things contain both organic and inorganic compounds. Toxicities vary wildly in both organic and inorganic classes of molecules.

[algae]

Ah OK, thanks for clarifying.