Toxin Benzene in Hookah boost risk for leukemia

Hookah which is an ancient form of smoking is quickly gaining popularity amidst adolescents, as per recent studies as they consider hookahs to be safe, however the recent study has found toxic Benzene in the fumes that come from the water pipes. This toxic Benzene has led to an increase in risk of leukemia which is a group of cancers that by and large commences in the bone marrow and results in high numbers of abnormal white blood cells.

As per the reports, the use of burning charcoal is involved in hookah smoking which is needed to heat the hookah tobacco in order to generate the smoke that the smoker inhales. In addition to it carcinogens and toxicants that are inhaled are found in hookah tobacco smoke and moreover large quantities of charcoal carcinogenic emissions and combustion-generated toxic are also inhaled by hookah smokers and nonsmokers who socialize with hookah smokers.

Furthermore, Moassel which is the sweetened and flavored tobacco is noted as one of the most popular kind of hookah tobacco that consist of around 30% tobacco fermented with fruits mixed with glycerin and chemical flavors and molasses.

In the year 2013 in US few researchers found that at some point in time around 23.2% of female and 26.6% of male college students have used hookah. According to few researchers, as the practice of hookah smokings is often seen in social settings and have examined an uptake of Benzene in both hookah smokers and non-smokers who have been presented at hookah social events.

Moreover, S-phenylmercapturic acid (SPMA) which is a metabolite of Benzene have been found in both hookah smokers and non-smokers and the uptake of SPMA in smokers have augmented to 4.2-fold after smoking hookah tobacco at a hookah lounge, whereas on the other hand for non-smokers it has increased to 2.6-fold after attending an event at a hookah lounge.

However, research analysts call for intercessions to diminish or thwart the use of hookah tobacco, regulatory actions to limit hookah-related exposure to toxicants including Benzene, and comprise of hookah smoking in clean indoor air legislation, as they believe that there is no safe level of exposure to Benzene.

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Global petrochemical prices slumped by 4 per cent in October

The $3 trillion-plus global petrochemical industry witnessed a 4 per cent fall in October as upstream energy prices continued their downward spiral. Petrochemical prices fell from $1,384/mt in September to $1,324/mt.  On a year-on-year basis, petrochemical prices slipped 2 per cent from the same month in 2013.

Prices have fallen 10 per cent since October, around $8/mt a day, after a short period of price rise. The steep decline in prices comes at a time when crude and naphtha prices have also been falling. Brent prices declined by 10 per cent in October, while naphtha prices fell by 15 per cent.

Petrochemicals are used by a large number of industries, including construction, pharmaceuticals, aviation, electronics and are used to make plastic, nylon, rubber and other consumer goods.

Prices of olefins, hydrocarbon compounds that function as the building blocks to petrochemical products used to produce consumer products, also declined in October. Ethylene prices slumped by 6 per cent to $1,324/mt, while propylene prices fell by 1 per cent to $1,311/mt.

Polyethylene also slipped by 2 per cent in October and polypropylene prices slipped by 1 per cent during the same period.

Aromatics are scented hydrocarbons with benzene rings. Prices of this compound fell steeply in October. Benzene prices declined by 7 per cent to $1,181/mt, while toluene prices dropped 8 per cent to $991/mt and paraxylene fell by 12 per cent to $1,603/mt. The paraxylene market registered the largest fall.

The falling petrochemical prices were accompanied by a sluggish global equity market. The Nikkei 225 and Dow Jones Industrial Average saw a rise of 2 per cent in October and the London Stock Exchange Index fell by 2 per cent during the same period.

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Sanctions against Iran persists, Britain will not encourage Iran trade

In the conference which was held on 15^th – 16^th October, 2014 is noted as one of the largest gathering of Iranian commercial officials which takes place in London. The conference which took place last month in October, 2014 aim to attract capital, which Iran badly needs owing to its long isolation under international sanctions. On the other hand, as world powers endeavor to achieve a deal with Iran on its nuclear programme sooner than its deadline on 24^th November, 2014, the Europe-Iran Forum is being held at a politically susceptible moment.

According to the sources, Britain still does not persuade to trade with Iran and has withdrawn all the commercial support for trade, in spite of an easing of tensions, since Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has sighted as a realistic member of the clergy, in 2013 it succeeded the fiercely anti-Western Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Nevertheless, the country wants to diversify beyond pharmaceuticals to oil from technology to everything, amid a population of close to 80 million and more of its young people going into higher education.

According to one of the researched report, in the year 2015 the Iranian economy in the current fiscal year will rise up to 1.5% mounting to 2.2% and this rise marks a ricochet from a 1.9% decline in 2013. But before the sanctions bit it remains far from 5% growth rates achieved.

Nevertheless, isolation of Iran remains far over for all the improvement in the diplomatic mood under Rouhani. Last year in 2013, Tehran struck a preliminary nuclear agreement with the world powers which is known as the P5+1 (the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, and China, facilitated by the European Union), endearing a limited slackening of the sanctions. However the country made a little progress before the deadline on reaching a final settlement was being discussed in New York in the month of September, 2014.

According to the industry expert, a major investment attraction is being represented by Iran through a liquid and well-developed stock market and diversified economy, however this achievement of Iran might take some time.

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Jobs may be the key to resolve GCC oil dependency issue

Oil rates have dropped to $80 per barrel from around $100, which now raises the question whether these economies will be able to withstand the tests of time. Will these economies be able to flourish in an environment of fixed terms of trade?

This will depend on the condition in each nation. However, all the countries are bound by the need to increase generation of productive jobs and to improve skills and productivity of the workforces. Despite progress in economic diversification in some nations, this accomplishment will not be enough to offset the operational challenges. Dependency on the oil and gas sector has hardly changed in these countries.

Economic diversification may seem to be moving quickly, between 2007 and 2013 GCC non-oil GDP developed by 7 per cent per year, which surpasses the growth of a mere 2 per cent in the oil and gas sector. Nevertheless, the share of oil and gas sector in the GCC economies’ GDP has increased during the past 10 years, primarily because of the climbing oil prices in the period, which increased the minimal value of oil output.

Analysts believe that the diversification that has taken place is to sectors that rely on inexpensive hydrocarbon feedstock. GCC governments have formulated a plan to expand their economy away from oil and gas, which has boosted investment. The investment ratio of these nations has grown from 21 per cent of GDP in 2011 to around 24 per cent in 2014.

A number of projects are in the pipeline and these projects will account for nearly 155 per cent of 2013 GDP, with just Saudi Arabia planning on projects worth $1.1 trillion. But the other investments in infrastructure may not point directly to diversification or sustainable development.

The major hindrance to diversification lies in the lack of education, skills and jobs. The poor quality of education results in poor development of skills and a lack of innovation in the economy, and this can be seen in the number of patents registered that originate in the GCC. The effects of an unskilled population are also reflected in the little money that has been spent on research and development.

GCC nations can be regarded as the world’s weakest performers in primary as well as secondary school levels, accompanied by nations like Yemen and Ghana.

Thus, education continues to weaken the region and GCC’s plans of boosting investments into human resources should gain utmost importance. It seems like GCC members spend much more on infrastructure than any middle/high income nation, while expenditure on education is far less when compared to several other countries, excluding Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

This attitude towards education has led to reduced labour participation levels, especially among women. But when GCC girls surpass boys in global mathematical exams, then lower female participation levels cannot be explained by poor academic feats.

Labour force in GCC is growing by 3-4 per cent every year but the skills of the workforce remain underdeveloped, which makes higher employment rates and greater economic growth much more difficult to achieve.

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Petrochemical industry to facilitate storing solar energy

A new study has shown how electrolysis (the process of passing via water to separate hydrogen from oxygen in H2O) electricity could generate hydrogen to store renewable energy. The solar panels would provide extra electricity for electrolysis, producing hydrogen in the day. At night the hydrogen generated would be combined with oxygen in the air to produce electricity.

Chemical engineers at Stanford have modelled a catalyst that could possibly enable producing large amounts of pure hydrogen by means of electrolysis. Currently, pure hydrogen is derived from natural gas; industrial hydrogen is mostly used for petroleum refining and fertilizer production.

The research team intend to use electrolysis to derive H2 from water and then use the process to conserve solar energy. However to make this method industrially successful the research team must come up with a cost-effective way.

Electrolysis is typically a simple experiment: place two metal electrodes in water, and pass electricity through these electrodes which makes them acts as catalysts to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen gas. Platinum is a perfect catalyst for water-splitting process. However to transform this method into an industrial process a low-cost electrode must be used. Thus the aim of the research team is to make H2 without using precious metals.

The team intends to go further than using electrolysis to replace the existing demand for hydrogen. At present there is no economically viable and large-scale method to store solar energy. This research team thinks that electrolysis could convert gallons of water into batteries for preserving solar energy. With the help of electricity, electrolysis will break the chemical bonds that hold H2O together.

Breaking the chemical bonds of H20 will result in the production of a hydrogen ion- a proton with no electron to create a balance. A good H2 catalyst will provide the proton with a place to stick until it can use an electron to form a hydrogen atom on the catalyst surface and then combine with a neighbouring hydrogen atom to come off as H2. This method needs a catalyst with the right stickiness because if the binding is not strong then the ions wouldn’t stick and if the binding is too strong then the ions will never be released.

Platinum is the best catalyst but is quite expensive. In 2013, the Stanford engineers came across a type of molybdenum sulphide, typically used for petrochemical processing, that had some of the properties to act as a cheap yet effective alternative to platinum.

Petrochemical processing has certain similarities to electrolysis as petroleum feed stocks consist of a substantial fraction of heavy molecules. Petroleum refineries rely on catalytic reactions that use hydrogen to break these heavy molecules into lighter molecules.

Electrolysis also involves breaking water molecules or their chemical bonds. However, the researchers soon found a better way of producing hydrogen from water.

Petroleum processing includes scrubbing sulphur out of fuels in order to reduce acid rain, during which some of the sulphur atoms get integrated into petroleum processing catalysts, thereby boosting the activity of the catalysts. This scrubbing process armed the team with another idea- if they added sulphur atoms to a good catalyst, it would function as a better electrode for generating pure hydrogen.

The team decided to lace molybdenum phosphide with sulphur atoms, which resulted in the production of a new catalyst molybdenum phosphosulfide. This new catalyst was much more effective at creating hydrogen than its precursor. This catalyst was much more resilient, which is an extremely important property for a catalyst used in an industrial process. This new catalyst is also stable and has the efficiency similar to that of platinum.

Now the team at Stanford is trying to further improve the catalyst. The team has been relying on environment friendly methods, but these methods have been developed on the basis of concepts borrowed from petrochemical plants.

It is enthralling to see researchers link two totally different areas of technology for such a noble purpose.

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Is Mineral Oil really safe for you?

Mineral oil, a by-product of petroleum and an odorless, colorless substance, has become a much used ingredient of engine oils, wood preservative, facial creams, pesticides, hair care products, cosmetics and baby oil. Mineral oil is believed to relieve constipation, however recent studies show that constant use or exposure can prove detrimental.

Pregnant women who use mineral oil (orally) often can induce hypoprothrombinemia and hemorrhagic disease, which can lead to excessive bleeding in their new born babies. While, inhaling mineral oil by pregnant women can cause testicular cancer in the foetus.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported about a patient who had mineral oil injected into his lungs, leading to loss of vision, headaches, convulsions and brief coma.

Studies have shown that low quality or poorly refined mineral oil can lead to the development of skin and scrotal cancers after heavy exposure. Mineral oil has been classified as a carcinogen and tumorigenic by the U.S. Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical

Mineral oil is often used to treat constipation and its side-effects are associated with the gastrointestinal tract. Continual use of mineral oil can cause the oil to enter the anal sphincter and the pruritus ani or affect the skin outside the rectum. It can also slow down healing of postoperative wounds in the anorectal region and disrupt normal defecatory

Those working in the petroleum industry are exposed to mineral oil mist in the air, which can induce coughing, wheezing, respiratory tract irritations, shortness of breath or tachypnea. Mineral oil is considered to even cause lipid pneumonitis. The oil may even move to the lower lobes of the lungs leading to cyst formations and fibrosis.

Mineral oil users can develop vitamin deficiencies. The oil covers the mucosa of the small intestine and decreases absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K. Lack of vitamin K can inhibit the ability of blood thinners to function properly, which may result in PT/INR levels in the blood to go beyond safe ranges.

Avoid using baby products with mineral oil as it can cause your child’s skin to become dry and irritated. Maybe it is time to switch to healthier and natural alternatives to mineral oil.

Replacing mineral oil with natural oils that are derived from foods is a safe alternative. Natural oils that can acts as great substitutes for mineral oil in hair and skin products include olive oil, almond oil, apricot kernel oil, rose hip seed oil, wheat germ oil, sunflower oil, jojoba oil, grape seed oil and coconut oil.

The makers often forget their responsibility of manufacturing products that are not detrimental to their clients’ health. However customers should never forget to read the ingredients label before making a purchase.

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Weight loss supplements- a deadly dose of chemicals

Trying to shed those extra kilos by swallowing diet supplements? At the risk of sounding dramatic- these pills may not give you the figure you spent days wishing for, but it may kill you.

Several dietary supplements available in the US have been reported to contain a possibly dangerous synthetic stimulant that has never been tested on human beings. The presence of this stimulant known as DMBA has caused a furore among researchers and experts, who have turned to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

This stimulant has been listed on dietary supplement ingredient labels under different names.  The research group scoured the internet for supplements that marketed ingredients with names similar to the chemical name of DMBA, 2-amino-4-methylpentane or 2-amino-4-methylpentanamine. “All the FDA would need to do is look at the labels of the products that we studied and they could immediately see . . . that this is not an ingredient that was previously in supplements,” said the study's lead author Pieter Cohen.

The team even search for terms like AMP Citrate, 4-amino-2-pentanamine, 4-amino-2-methylpentane citrate, Pentergy and 4-AMP. The 14 products that matched their search were sent to the lab for further examination.

Out of the, 12 supplements included DMBA or 1, 3-dimethylbutylamine. This synthetic stimulant is similar to DMAA, a compound that according to the FDA can lead to heart attacks. FDA issued a directive to agencies and asked them to stop selling DMAA-laced supplements in 2012.

However, experts suggest that this is most likely just a fraction of supplements in the US that include this artificial stimulant. Manufacturers use DMBA because it has the potential to function like DMAA at higher doses. DMAA was advertised as a body-building and weight loss supplement. The FDA got numerous death and illness reports connected to DMAA-laced supplements.

The products that the research team sent to lab for analysis were promoted as sports or weight loss supplements. Council for Responsible Nutrition has requested the FDA to ban the marketing of AMP Citrate as a DMAA alternative. CRN is worried that the consumers relying on these supplements are likely unaware about the effects of AMP Citrate. FDA has not received the complete paperwork for this potentially dangerous substance.

FDA will possibly take action against agencies selling supplements with DMBA and AMP Citrate. Manufacturers are responsible for the health and safety of their consumers and they should submit a new dietary ingredient notification before advertising.

GNC is a global supplier of health products and is said to have removed products containing DMBA from its website.

Consumers who use supplements should return products that have the name AMP on their product labels. People should avoid these weight-loss supplements like the plague. Users should also avoid taking supplements that claim to include elements that will soon be banned.

All weight loss and body-building supplements may not contain these compounds, however being cautious costs nothing.  

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Monetary growth is possible with the development of chemistry

Invention is not alone enough but it is an intoxicating combination of invention and innovation that can jointly make life better. Into the 17th century the development of chemistry gradually became the basis after a medieval chemical science and a speculative philosophy aspired on achieving a universal cure for disease and life solutions. However in the second half of 19th century, perceivable brunt of chemistry on humanity in the course of its smaller incremental novelty was being experienced. Nevertheless through application science, chemistry has been the force behind making miracles on a daily basis.

According to the researched report, in order to support new innovation most of chemical industries globally in the year 2013 had invested USD 56 billion in research and development, however around 1-2% total turnover on research and development (R&D) was spend by the Indian chemical sector. On the other hand, chemical industry has spent around 5-10% on research and development (R&D) in the developed countries.

Moreover by the year 2021, the market size of chemical is expected to rise globally at 4-5% per annum in order to reach USD 5.8 trillion and the absolute size of this industry hindmost by the fact that to almost all the other industries chemicals provides raw materials. Additionally around the end-consumer the processes are designed, however the focus on customer-centricity above just customer satisfaction is what set apart the chemical industry.

In spite of all types of challenges, the commercialization process of lesser incremental novelty in chemistry has begun to get noticed in India and the industries which are carrying out today is primarily linked with customer-centric and innovation encroachments like sustainability, affordability and efficiency.

As per the industry experts, marketing approaches which are not specific to brand needs to be adopted by the chemical industry, also from its antiquated approach to segmentation it needs to back off more dynamic type which is helpful to the customer and similar industry.

However chemistry became pervasive in a multi-disciplinary world and this science has been blending in with cutting-edge technology for decades and to continue improving our quality of life, chemistry has been providing the groundwork and driving innovation. Nevertheless, in the midst of consolidation phase and restructuring the chemical industry stands firm these days, besides rising tie-ups of industry and academia is also needed.

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