SIDE EFFECT
The chemical structure of EDTA forms a sort of cage that can trap metals. On account of its
ability to trap metals it is called a chelating agent.
In a human exposure study, one patient developed renal irritation characterized by albuminuria
and granular casts that cleared up completely when the drug was discontinued. This was the
only patient that received the dose of disodium EDTA over a two and a half-hour period. In
animal experimentation, rabbits that received high oral doses of disodium EDTA showed signs
of severe diarrhea and died. Histopathological examination of a number of organs showed
degenerative changes in the liver, kidney, parathyroid, and endocrine organs and edema in
muscle, brain, and heart at all levels of treatment.
If you study food labels closely, you may see it listed like this jar of mayonnaise. This is a
legitimate use since very small amounts of metal from the equipment used to process food
can cause fats to oxidize and produce bad tasting and even harmful substances. Fortunately,
your body tends not to absorb much when you take it by mouth, most of an ingested dose
goes out your rear end. Surprisingly, EDTA in some cosmetics may be absorbed to a greater
degree. When it is used as a drug, it is given by injection or intravenous infusion. Whatever
EDTA your body absorbs will pick up whatever metals it can find and is then removed, mostly
unchanged, by the kidneys. Large doses can damage the kidneys. In lab tests it has been
found to be cytotoxic (damages cells) and weakly genotoxic (slightly damages DNA), but not
carcinogenic. In animal tests, large oral doses of EDTA have adverse reproductive and
developmental effects. The scientific consensus is that people don’t usually ingest enough of
this substance to cause harm.
Tetrasodium EDTA side effects include a number of potential problems. In some individuals,
this chemical has been known to cause skin irritation. Other studies suggest that Tetrasodium
EDTA may contribute to the development of cancer. Unfortunately, many companies that claim
to make natural skin care products will still use this chemical. This is an interesting
development that initially may seem like nonsense. Why would a skin care manufacturer use
a synthetic chemical like Tetrasodium EDTA in their formulation, if they believe in using natural
ingredients?
The answer may come from the skin care industry simply becoming used to certain
ingredients. For example, many brands still formulate their products with excessive amounts
of alcohol, fragrance and coloring. This may seem counter-intuitive, because alcohol can dry
out the skin, and the latter two ingredients are known for causing irritation. However, the
industry has simply become accustomed to it, since pretty much everyone seems to do it.
Thus, Tetrasodium EDTA seems to be used in much the same way, where most companies
simply use it because it’s the norm.
References
1. “disodium edta toxicity side effect diseases and environment impacts.” Chemical
News. Retrieved Disember 05, 2017: [Link]
[Link]
2. “vitamins and supplements/edta uses and risks.” Retrieved June 15, 2017 from
[Link]: [Link]
risks#1
3. “final report on the safety assessment of EDTA, calcium disodium EDTA,
diammonium EDTA, dipotassium EDTA, disodium EDTA, TEA-EDTA, tetrasodium
EDTA, tripotassium EDTA, trisodium EDTA, HEDTA, and trisodium HEDTA.”
Retrieved August 21, 2002 from [Link]:
[Link]