Was wondering if anyone has ever organized and petitioned the drug companies and FDA to come up with less toxic preservatives for the different types of insulin in use. It is my understanding that in hospitals, empty insulin vials get thrown out in “yellow bags” (used for cytotoxic chemicals). From what I have researched so far, meta-cresol used to be used in surgery but has long been replaced with substances that are not as toxic. If you read the label on a Lysol can, you would never think of ingesting or injecting it into your body…yet its the same stuff in insulin.
There are so many people using insulin. Cant we make a difference? Who would have predicted that huge manufacturing companies would shy away from cheap, high fructose corn syrup and trans-fats??? There is power in numbers.
This issue has been raised here before and I don’t remember the details but I do remember that I shouldn’t be concerned about it. Others may post with the details.
Here’s a long TuD thread about this topic going back to '09. This topic is controversial and I didn’t read anything conclusive or based in real science about this concern. It shares some of the same controversy that the “anti-vaxers” have with childhood vaccines.
Look up the “post hoc ergo propter hoc” logical fallacy. It simply means that because event A happened before event B does not necessarily mean that event A caused event B. This fallacy in logical thinking is so old that it even has a Latin name!
It’s my humble opinion that you will be more richly rewarded concentrating your time and attention on controlling blood glucose than worrying about the negligible effects of the minute amounts of insulin preservatives.
I like my insulin fresh and welcome those minute but effective amounts of preservative. I have no worries about toxicity. I agree with Terry4 and recommend concentrating your time and attention on something worthwhile.
I have been using insulin for 41 years and humalog since 1997. Yeah I agree with RGcainmd, I like my humalog fresh and fear spoilage way more than this issue.
