The explosive truth about aerosol cans

You probably have one sitting on your dresser in your boudoir or stashed away in your pantry at home – or mindlessly stowed in the trunk of your car. We’re talking about aerosol cans that surely became the talk of the town when a pressurized can exploded in somebody’s vehicle and imbedded itself in the back seat of the car. The story goes that one blistering day (the temperature hitting 100°F), a car was parked outside with all its windows shut. Suddenly, there was an explosion! When the car was opened, they found a can implanted in its back seat.

The grim question is: What if somebody (you or a loved one) was sitting in that seat? We shudder at the mere thought.

A more explosive story happened outside a refinery in Beaumont, Texas one hot day. A deodorant spray can exploded inside a car parked in an open space in the middle of a hot summer day. The explosion shattered the car’s rear window.

That’s enough to blow your mind, isn’t it? The next question is: Do you keep aerosol cans (or pressurized containers) – like Off, Fix-A-Flat, hair spray (but this is so passé, don’t you think?), freshener, etc. – in your car? On top of endangering your personal safety, aerosols pose a risk to the environment (their chlorofluorocarbons add to the gaping hole in the ozone layer).

So that such tragedies would not be repeated, the US Safety and Industrial Hygiene Department issued the following safety rules for everyone:

• Do not leave pressurized containers (of any kind) in your vehicle where they can be exposed to sunlight.

• Always read and follow the manufacturer’s safety recommendations that come with the can.

• Report incidents such as this that can help inform other people of possible risks and dangers, both inside and outside the workplace.

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Use Your Coconut (Oil)

Go ahead, use your coconut (oil), stoutly urges the Philippine Coconut Research & Development Foundation, Inc. Oil’s well with coconut, as this letter aims to prove:

Dear Consumerline,

In reference to our column of Sept. 23, we wish to share a few notes on the unique health-promoting properties of coconut oil which might help correct common misconceptions regarding its so-called "adverse effects" on human health.

Time and again, coconut oil, which is a highly special type of saturated fat, has been labeled as "bad," being a material to manufacture cholesterol. Worse, it is now being tagged as one of the worst oils, the reason being that it is highest in saturated fats and is one of the most heart-unfriendly oils. Such a statement is inaccurate and can only come from someone uninformed/misinformed about what coconut oil really is.

Generalizations regarding saturated fats have been misleading. People are led to believe that unsaturates are good, and saturates, which include coconut oil, are bad for the health. Consequently, people have often equated coconut oil with the idea of unhealthy saturated fats that raise blood cholesterol. When in fact, it is the type of fats and oils that we need to be most concerned about when it comes to diet and health, that is, the medium and long-chain triglycerides. It is high time, therefore, that the marked differences between these two types of saturated fatty acids be distinguished from each other.

Saturated fats are either long-chain saturated fatty acids (with carbon chain of 14 or longer) and medium-chain fatty acids (6-12 carbon chains). Each has varying effects on blood lipids. Unlike other saturated fats though, such as animal fats (lard, butter and egg products) which are all very rich in cholesterol, coconut oil does not raise blood cholesterol because it is uniquely rich in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). In its chemical composition,, coconut oil is made of 63.5 percent MCTs. These MCTs are specialty fats with unique and interesting properties. They are easilly digested, rapidly metabolized in the liver and burned immediately into energy in the same way as carbohydrates. Compared to long-chain triglycerides (LCTs), such as those derived from soybean oil, corn oil, butterfat and other animal fats, the ingestion of coconut oil-containing MCTs results in a higher resting metabolic rate (RMR) for the individual, indicating a greater consumption of energy in calories, thus preventing the deposition of fats in the body.

The other most important thing to note is that most vegetable oils – like canola oil, a genetically engineered oil – are partially hydrogenated for stability and functionality so they can be used in margarine and shortening. These oils are being made to substitute coconut oil. Ironically, the partial hydrogenation process these oils undergo makes these oils more dangerous to health due to the formation of undesirable trans fatty acids (TFAs). According to several studies, TFAs tend to elevate the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or the so-called bad cholesterol. A Harvard study even showed that the chance of suffering a heart attack was 53 percent higher than among those at the low end of trans fat consumption. It is for this reason that the US Food and Drug Adminstration is now including TFAs in food labels for consumer protection. Coconut oil, on the other hand, does not contain TFAs because it does not need to undergo hydrogenation to be stable and functional. It is the most naturally stable and functional oil. Coconut oil’s ability to resist rancidity due to oxidation and other forms of degradation can be attributed to its saturated character. This quality has given coconut oil high preference in formulations, especially when products require long shelf life. Other studies also revealed that coconut oil is neutral with respect to atherogenecity of fats and oils and, in fact, it is likely to be a beneficial oil for prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease.

Lastly, it may be worth-noting that one of the best proofs that coconut oil is indeed safe and will not cause any unhealthy effects to humans is the fact that Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit recently approved a food fortification program endorsing the use of vitamin A-fortified coconut edible oil.

Coconut oil is a premium oil with all its health-promoting properties. So, it’s a wonder why it was classified as worst oil. It is not only different from other saturated fats, it is also different from other tropical oils. It is the only oil which has the highest medium-chain fatty acid content (C8, C10 and C12), having remarkable properties as antiviral, antimicrobial and antiprotozoal.

Much has been said about coconut oil, yet many of them are contrary to facts. It would be better if we could help promote public awareness of information concretely supported by documented scientific evidence.

– Manuel Del Rosario

Officer-in-charge

Vice chairman/treasurer

PCRDF