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Interesting Facts About Activated Charcoal |
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Interesting Facts About Activated Charcoal
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Darrell Miller | 11/03/13 |
Date:
November 03, 2013 12:19 AM
Author: Darrell Miller
(dm@vitanetonline.com)
Subject: Interesting Facts About Activated Charcoal
How Activated Charcoal is Made
Activated charcoal is very similar to normal charcoal which is made from coconut shell, wood, petroleum, peat or coal. To make activated charcoal, the common charcoal is heated in the presence of some gases like argon, oxygen or nitrogen in a variety of processes, namely; physical or chemical activation. These processes open up millions of tiny pores between the present carbon atoms. These pores help the charcoal to easily trap select chemicals in a process known as adsorption. It is known by a myriad of names from Animal charcoal, Gas black to lamp black etc.
Uses of Activated Charcoal
The earliest documented usage of activated charcoal was reported in the early 19th century in England where it was sold as charcoal biscuits. It was generally administered as an antidote to a wide variety of stomach problems and flatulence. It has since gained mainstream usage for a wide variety of ailments and can either be sold as an over the counter drug in certain countries as tablets or capsules or be prescribed by doctors in hospitals. It can also be used for pre-hospital purposes in emergency treatments.
One of the main uses of activated charcoal has been in treating instances of overdoses and poisonings in the human body. It does this by adsorption (attaching to the poison by chemical attraction) thereby preventing its absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. It is also known to interrupt the enteroenteric circulation of some toxins and drugs thereby preventing poisoning. The correct dosage is usually 1 gram per kilogram of body mass and is usually given once to the patient even though in very acute instances it can be given to the patient more than once. Apart from the adsorption process, activated charcoal can also be used to filter out any harmful drugs from affected person’s blood stream. It is worth noting though that for long term accumulation of toxins in the body through a variety of methods such as toxic herbicide infection, that the use of activated charcoal to reverse the effects will not be successful.
References:
- //www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-269-ACTIVATED CHARCOAL.aspx?activeIngredientId
- //science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/question209.htm
- //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activated_carbon
