The Giant Noodle
DP Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2010
- Messages
- 7,332
- Reaction score
- 2,011
- Location
- Northern Illinois
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Independent
According to McDonald’s corporate website, a Big Mac contains the following:
calcium carbonate (aka carbonic acid, calcium salt) – The IPCS recommends handling this chemical only with safety gloves and goggles. No known health effects are listed but they do say calcium carbonate decomposes on heating producing corrosive fumes of calcium oxide.
wheat gluten – Gluten is a part of wheat that commonly leads to and/or exacerbates a glut of health problems such as leaky gut, celiac disease, allergic reactions of many sorts, bowel problems, neurological dysfunction.
ammonium sulfate – The IPCS has a lengthy and detailed 231 page safety study on this chemical. Needless to say there is a lot of data to analyze. The IPSC states: “Ammonium sulfate is of relatively low acute toxicity (LD50, oral, rat: 2000 – 4250 mg/kg bw; LD50 dermal, rat/mouse > 2000 mg/kg bw; 8-h LC50, inhalation, rat > 1000 mg/m3).” Essentially this means that it takes between 2-4.3 grams per kilogram of body weight to kill a rat when eaten. Clinical signs after oral exposure included staggering, prostration, apathy, and labored and irregular breathing immediately after dosing at doses near to or exceeding the LD50 value.” According to the study, ammonium sulfate also appears to be a fairly effective killer of some species of fish (see page 6) in concentrations as low as 11mg/l.
ammonium chloride – The IPSC says this chemical should only be handled using safety gloves and safety goggles (does this sound like a broken record yet?). Ingestion results in nausea, sore throat, and vomiting. Contact with skin or eyes results in irritation and soreness. Inhalation results in cough and sore throat. IPSC again states: “substance decomposes on heating producing toxic and irritating fumes (nitrogen oxides, ammonia and hydrogen chloride).
azodicarbonamide – This is a particularly fun chemical which has been banned for use as a food additive in Australia, Europe and Singapore where use as such carries a penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $450,000. The substance is so toxic the US Government, in their infinite wisdom, allows it only up to 45 ppm (that’s parts per million) as a food additive. Do you really want to eat food that has chemicals purposely added that are so toxic they must be regulated at the part’s per million level? The IPSC says you should wear protective clothing, breathing protection and safety goggles to handle azodicarbonamide. Inhalation results in cough, headache, shortness of breath, sore throat, wheezing, fatigue and cramps while contact with skin and eyes can cause irritation and soreness. This substance is flammable and decomposes at 225°C giving off toxic fumes of nitrogen oxides. Can I interest anyone in a job at McDonald’s bakery where your your work uniform may look something like this?
sodium propionate – As usual the IPSC recommends safety gloves and goggles but also breathing protection. This chemical is flammable and gives off toxic fumes when burned. Inhalation results in cough and sore throat and exposure to the eyes results in pain and irritation.
Now that we’re finished with the bun shall we move on to the cheese and “special sauce?”
sodium citrate – IPSC says handle with safety goggles and ventilation. This flammable chemical will cause a cough and sore throat if inhaled and irritation of the eyes upon contact.
sodium phosphate – You may remember this “ingredient” from Chicken McNuggets, but to refresh your memory it’s an oral laxative which was used for colonoscopy preparation until it was withdrawn from the US market due to concerns about kidney damage and even outright acute renal failure in the form of phosphate nephropathy. As an industrial chemical the IPSC has some really exciting things to say about sodium phosphate! You should wear protective clothing and a “face shield or eye protection” in combination with breathing protection, if you wish to handle this chemical. Ingestion: abdominal pain, burning sensation, shock or collapse. Contact with eyes: irritation, pain and “deep severe burns” – ouch! Contact with skin: skin burns, pain and blisters. Inhalation: Burning sensation, cough, shortness of breath and sore throat. To be clear we aren’t sure which “sodium phosphate” McDonald’s is using in their McNuggets and burger cheese; in the cheese they refer to “sodium phosphate” and in the McNuggets they refer to “sodium phosphates.“ None of the “sodium phosphates” are suitable for inclusion in food items, in my opinion. Specifically referencing trisodium phosphate, Wikipedia confirms its use as a food additive and also historically as a component of soaps and detergents until that practice was largely discontinued due to “ecological problems.” Trisodium phosphate also finds uses in cleaning agents (although not in your bathroom because it can “corrode metal” and “damage grout”), as a flux in the soldering process, as a “painting enhancement” to clean and degrease walls and by some brave souls as a “performance enhancing” nutritional supplement until they realized it is “severely irritating to gastric mucosa.” I can see why the fake food formulators at McDonald’s felt sodium phosphates would make excellent ingredients for their cheese!
calcium chloride – Although “generally recognized as safe (GRAS)” in small amounts by the US Government and the EU, this is a toxic chemical that kills lab animals and is “severely irritating to the gastrointestinal tract.” The good news is oral toxicity is rare in humans because “large single doses induce nausea and vomiting.” Why would anyone want to purposely eat this stuff???
sodium benzoate – IPSC says protective gloves, clothing and goggles should be used to handle sodium benzoate. It’s flammable, causes eye irritation, skin rash, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
calcium disodium EDTA – EDTA comes in several different types, disodium, tetrasodium and calcium disodium.
100% Beef Patty
100% pure USDA inspected beef; no fillers, no extenders. Prepared with grill seasoning (salt, black pepper).
Big Mac Bun
Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, enzymes), water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated soybean oil, contains 2% or less of the following: salt, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, wheat gluten, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, dough conditioners (sodium stearoyl lactylate, datem, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated monoglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, enzymes, guar gum, calcium peroxide, soy flour), calcium propionate and sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin, sesame seed.
CONTAINS: WHEAT AND SOY
Pasteurized Process American Cheese
Milk, water, milkfat, cheese culture, sodium citrate, salt, citric acid, sorbic acid (preservative), sodium phosphate, artificial color, lactic acid, acetic acid, enzymes, soy lecithin (added for slice separation).
CONTAINS: MILK AND SOY LECITHIN
Big Mac Sauce
Soybean oil, pickle relish [diced pickles, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, vinegar, corn syrup, salt, calcium chloride, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate (preservative), spice extractives, polysorbate 80], distilled vinegar, water, egg yolks, high fructose corn syrup, onion powder, mustard seed, salt, spices, propylene glycol alginate, sodium benzoate (preservative), mustard bran, sugar, garlic powder, vegetable protein (hydrolyzed corn, soy and wheat), caramel color, extractives of paprika, soy lecithin, turmeric (color), calcium disodium EDTA (protect flavor).
CONTAINS: WHEAT, EGG AND SOY
Lettuce
Pickle Slices
Cucumbers, water, distilled vinegar, salt, calcium chloride, alum, potassium sorbate (preservative), natural flavors (plant source), polysorbate 80, extractives of turmeric (color).
Onions
Chopped onions.
calcium sulfate – According to the IPCS this chemical “gives off irritating or toxic fumes (or gases) in a fire” (we’re cooking this right???) and should only be handled with safety gloves and safety googles. It causes a cough when inhaled, abdominal pain when ingested and irritation of the eyes upon contact. Additionally, according to a Center for Disease Control (CDC) “material safety data sheet (MSDS),” this chemical can cause “irritation of the eyes, skin, mucous membranes, and upper respiratory tract” as well as “conjunctivitis, rhinitis, laryngitis, sore throat, tracheal and bronchial irritation, nosebleeds, and impaired sense of smell and taste” as reported by workers who have been exposed to this substance.100% pure USDA inspected beef; no fillers, no extenders. Prepared with grill seasoning (salt, black pepper).
Big Mac Bun
Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, enzymes), water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated soybean oil, contains 2% or less of the following: salt, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, wheat gluten, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, dough conditioners (sodium stearoyl lactylate, datem, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated monoglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, enzymes, guar gum, calcium peroxide, soy flour), calcium propionate and sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin, sesame seed.
CONTAINS: WHEAT AND SOY
Pasteurized Process American Cheese
Milk, water, milkfat, cheese culture, sodium citrate, salt, citric acid, sorbic acid (preservative), sodium phosphate, artificial color, lactic acid, acetic acid, enzymes, soy lecithin (added for slice separation).
CONTAINS: MILK AND SOY LECITHIN
Big Mac Sauce
Soybean oil, pickle relish [diced pickles, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, vinegar, corn syrup, salt, calcium chloride, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate (preservative), spice extractives, polysorbate 80], distilled vinegar, water, egg yolks, high fructose corn syrup, onion powder, mustard seed, salt, spices, propylene glycol alginate, sodium benzoate (preservative), mustard bran, sugar, garlic powder, vegetable protein (hydrolyzed corn, soy and wheat), caramel color, extractives of paprika, soy lecithin, turmeric (color), calcium disodium EDTA (protect flavor).
CONTAINS: WHEAT, EGG AND SOY
Lettuce
Pickle Slices
Cucumbers, water, distilled vinegar, salt, calcium chloride, alum, potassium sorbate (preservative), natural flavors (plant source), polysorbate 80, extractives of turmeric (color).
Onions
Chopped onions.
calcium carbonate (aka carbonic acid, calcium salt) – The IPCS recommends handling this chemical only with safety gloves and goggles. No known health effects are listed but they do say calcium carbonate decomposes on heating producing corrosive fumes of calcium oxide.
wheat gluten – Gluten is a part of wheat that commonly leads to and/or exacerbates a glut of health problems such as leaky gut, celiac disease, allergic reactions of many sorts, bowel problems, neurological dysfunction.
ammonium sulfate – The IPCS has a lengthy and detailed 231 page safety study on this chemical. Needless to say there is a lot of data to analyze. The IPSC states: “Ammonium sulfate is of relatively low acute toxicity (LD50, oral, rat: 2000 – 4250 mg/kg bw; LD50 dermal, rat/mouse > 2000 mg/kg bw; 8-h LC50, inhalation, rat > 1000 mg/m3).” Essentially this means that it takes between 2-4.3 grams per kilogram of body weight to kill a rat when eaten. Clinical signs after oral exposure included staggering, prostration, apathy, and labored and irregular breathing immediately after dosing at doses near to or exceeding the LD50 value.” According to the study, ammonium sulfate also appears to be a fairly effective killer of some species of fish (see page 6) in concentrations as low as 11mg/l.
ammonium chloride – The IPSC says this chemical should only be handled using safety gloves and safety goggles (does this sound like a broken record yet?). Ingestion results in nausea, sore throat, and vomiting. Contact with skin or eyes results in irritation and soreness. Inhalation results in cough and sore throat. IPSC again states: “substance decomposes on heating producing toxic and irritating fumes (nitrogen oxides, ammonia and hydrogen chloride).
azodicarbonamide – This is a particularly fun chemical which has been banned for use as a food additive in Australia, Europe and Singapore where use as such carries a penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $450,000. The substance is so toxic the US Government, in their infinite wisdom, allows it only up to 45 ppm (that’s parts per million) as a food additive. Do you really want to eat food that has chemicals purposely added that are so toxic they must be regulated at the part’s per million level? The IPSC says you should wear protective clothing, breathing protection and safety goggles to handle azodicarbonamide. Inhalation results in cough, headache, shortness of breath, sore throat, wheezing, fatigue and cramps while contact with skin and eyes can cause irritation and soreness. This substance is flammable and decomposes at 225°C giving off toxic fumes of nitrogen oxides. Can I interest anyone in a job at McDonald’s bakery where your your work uniform may look something like this?
sodium propionate – As usual the IPSC recommends safety gloves and goggles but also breathing protection. This chemical is flammable and gives off toxic fumes when burned. Inhalation results in cough and sore throat and exposure to the eyes results in pain and irritation.
Now that we’re finished with the bun shall we move on to the cheese and “special sauce?”
sodium citrate – IPSC says handle with safety goggles and ventilation. This flammable chemical will cause a cough and sore throat if inhaled and irritation of the eyes upon contact.
sodium phosphate – You may remember this “ingredient” from Chicken McNuggets, but to refresh your memory it’s an oral laxative which was used for colonoscopy preparation until it was withdrawn from the US market due to concerns about kidney damage and even outright acute renal failure in the form of phosphate nephropathy. As an industrial chemical the IPSC has some really exciting things to say about sodium phosphate! You should wear protective clothing and a “face shield or eye protection” in combination with breathing protection, if you wish to handle this chemical. Ingestion: abdominal pain, burning sensation, shock or collapse. Contact with eyes: irritation, pain and “deep severe burns” – ouch! Contact with skin: skin burns, pain and blisters. Inhalation: Burning sensation, cough, shortness of breath and sore throat. To be clear we aren’t sure which “sodium phosphate” McDonald’s is using in their McNuggets and burger cheese; in the cheese they refer to “sodium phosphate” and in the McNuggets they refer to “sodium phosphates.“ None of the “sodium phosphates” are suitable for inclusion in food items, in my opinion. Specifically referencing trisodium phosphate, Wikipedia confirms its use as a food additive and also historically as a component of soaps and detergents until that practice was largely discontinued due to “ecological problems.” Trisodium phosphate also finds uses in cleaning agents (although not in your bathroom because it can “corrode metal” and “damage grout”), as a flux in the soldering process, as a “painting enhancement” to clean and degrease walls and by some brave souls as a “performance enhancing” nutritional supplement until they realized it is “severely irritating to gastric mucosa.” I can see why the fake food formulators at McDonald’s felt sodium phosphates would make excellent ingredients for their cheese!
calcium chloride – Although “generally recognized as safe (GRAS)” in small amounts by the US Government and the EU, this is a toxic chemical that kills lab animals and is “severely irritating to the gastrointestinal tract.” The good news is oral toxicity is rare in humans because “large single doses induce nausea and vomiting.” Why would anyone want to purposely eat this stuff???
sodium benzoate – IPSC says protective gloves, clothing and goggles should be used to handle sodium benzoate. It’s flammable, causes eye irritation, skin rash, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
calcium disodium EDTA – EDTA comes in several different types, disodium, tetrasodium and calcium disodium.
