23 YEARS OF DOCUMENTED VITAMIN SAFETY

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Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, February 27, 200723 YEARS OF DOCUMENTED VITAMIN SAFETY(OMNS, Feb 27, 2007) Over a twenty-three year period, vitamins have been connected with the deaths of a total of ten people in the United States. Poison control statistics confirm that more Americans die each year from eating soap than from taking vitamins. Where are the bodies?A 23-year review of US poison control center annual reports (1) tells a remarkable and largely ignored story: vitamins are extraordinarily safe.Annual deaths alleged from vitamins:2005: zero 2004: two2003: two2002: one2001: zero2000: zero1999: zero1998: zero1997: zero1996: zero1995: zero1994: zero1993: one1992: zero1991: two1990: one1989: zero1988: zero1987: one1986: zero1985: zero1984: zero1983: zeroThe zeros are not due to a lack of reporting. The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), which maintains the USA’s national database of information from 61 poison control centers, has noted that vitamins are among the 16 most reported substances. Even including intentional and accidental misuse, the number of alleged vitamin fatalities is strikingly low, averaging less than one death per year for more than two decades. In 16 of those 23 years, AAPCC reports that there was not one single death due to vitamins. These statistics specifically include vitamin A, niacin (B-3), pyridoxine (B-6), other B-complex, C, D, E, "other" vitamin(s), such as vitamin K, and multiple vitamins without iron. Minerals, which are chemically and nutritionally different from vitamins, have an excellent safety record as well, but not quite as good as vitamins. On the average, one or two fatalities per year are typically attributed to iron poisoning from gross overdosing on supplemental iron. Deaths attributed to other supplemental minerals are very rare. Even iron, although not as safe as vitamins, accounts for fewer deaths than do laundry and dishwashing detergents. References:1. Annual Reports of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poisoning and Exposure Database (formerly known as the Toxic Exposure Surveillance System). AAPCC, 3201 New Mexico Avenue, Ste. 330, Washington, DC 20016. Download any report from1983-2005 at http://www.aapcc.org/annual.htm free of charge. The "Vitamin" category is usually near the end of the report. For 2005 http://www.aapcc.org/Annual%20Reports/05report/2005%20Publsihed.pdf For 2004 http://www.aapcc.org/Annual%20Reports/04report/AJEM%20-%20AAPCC%20Annual%20Report%202004.pdf For 2003 http://www.aapcc.org/Annual%20Reports/03report/Annual%20Report%202003.pdf For any other year: http://www.aapcc.org/annual.htmNutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular MedicineLinus ing defined orthomolecular medicine as "the treatment of disease by the provision of the optimum molecular environment, especially the optimum concentrations of substances normally present in the human body." Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.orgThe peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource.Editorial Review Board:Abram Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D.Harold D. , Ph.D.Bradford Weeks, M.D.Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. Paterson, M.D. Levy, M.D., J.D.Steve Hickey, Ph.D. W. Saul, Editor and contact person. email: drsauldoctoryourself .