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Warning issued over 'extremely dangerous' drug used by dieters and bodybuilders
Industrial chemical DNP can cause blindess and even death, warns Swansea council
Industrial chemical DNP is being sold online to bodybuilders and dieters
People wanting to lose weight or build muscle are being urged to avoid an industrial chemical being circulated as a fat burning agent.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is warning that DNP (2,4-Dinitrophenol) is available and being used by a number of people in Wales. Overuse of the substance can lead to blindness, skin lesions and death.
A spokeswoman for the FSA warned that DNP was an industrial chemical which is “extremely dangerous” to human health.
She said: “Depending on the amount consumed, signs of acute poisoning could include fever, dehydration, nausea, vomiting, restlessness, flushed skin, sweating, dizziness, headaches, rapid respiration and rapid or irregular heart-beat, possibly leading to coma and death.
“Consuming lower amounts over longer periods could lead to cataracts and skin lesions and affect the heart, blood and nervous system.
“Wording on labels such as ‘burns fat’, ‘boosts muscle growth’ and similar claims are commonly used on these products. The products are primarily aimed at body builders, but may also be used by those wishing to lose weight.
“Labelling on products containing DNP may vary and it may not be listed in the ingredients, for example the chemical has also been found in tablets claiming to be 100% caffeine.”
Swansea council is one of a number of authorities in Wales issuing warnings about DNP.
A spokesman for the authority said: “Anyone who believes they may have taken products containing DNP should seek medical advice immediately.
“The FSA is taking action both to crack down on the illegal sale of products containing DNP and to raise awareness to retailers who stock this kind of product and of the dangers of its use. If people are offered products containing DNP they should not use it and instead contact the Food Standards Agency directly or their local authority.”
The substance is banned for human consumption but is available as it is also used as a pesticide.
It has been linked with more than 60 deaths worldwide.
And last September, Sarah Houston, 23, whose parents are both doctors, died in Leeds where she was a student after secretly taking DNP in the form of capsules.
She had been seeking help for bulimia and at an inquest into her death earlier this year in Wakefield, local coroner David Hinchliff said DNP was “entirely” responsible for Miss Houston’s death. Demanding a crackdown on the sale of the capsules, he said manufacturers knew they were bought for weight control.
He said: “The only motive for manufacturing a toxic substance as a slimming aid would be to profit from people who have the misfortune of having a condition such as Sarah’s.
“Anyone who professionally manufactures capsules to be taken as a drug has the intention of people using it as a drug. Sarah’s death is a consequence of that.”
Miss Houston had taken DNP along with a prescription anti-depressant.
The combination of the two drugs, which both boost the metabolism, may have proved fatal, the inquest heard.
DNP is sold mostly over the internet under a number of different names. The manufactured drug is yellow and odourless and was previously used as a herbicide and fungicide.
It was launched as a slimming aid in the US in the 1930s but then banned in 1938 due to its side-effects.
Warning issued over 'extremely dangerous' drug used by dieters and bodybuilders
Industrial chemical DNP can cause blindess and even death, warns Swansea council
Industrial chemical DNP is being sold online to bodybuilders and dieters
People wanting to lose weight or build muscle are being urged to avoid an industrial chemical being circulated as a fat burning agent.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is warning that DNP (2,4-Dinitrophenol) is available and being used by a number of people in Wales. Overuse of the substance can lead to blindness, skin lesions and death.
A spokeswoman for the FSA warned that DNP was an industrial chemical which is “extremely dangerous” to human health.
She said: “Depending on the amount consumed, signs of acute poisoning could include fever, dehydration, nausea, vomiting, restlessness, flushed skin, sweating, dizziness, headaches, rapid respiration and rapid or irregular heart-beat, possibly leading to coma and death.
“Consuming lower amounts over longer periods could lead to cataracts and skin lesions and affect the heart, blood and nervous system.
“Wording on labels such as ‘burns fat’, ‘boosts muscle growth’ and similar claims are commonly used on these products. The products are primarily aimed at body builders, but may also be used by those wishing to lose weight.
“Labelling on products containing DNP may vary and it may not be listed in the ingredients, for example the chemical has also been found in tablets claiming to be 100% caffeine.”
Swansea council is one of a number of authorities in Wales issuing warnings about DNP.
A spokesman for the authority said: “Anyone who believes they may have taken products containing DNP should seek medical advice immediately.
“The FSA is taking action both to crack down on the illegal sale of products containing DNP and to raise awareness to retailers who stock this kind of product and of the dangers of its use. If people are offered products containing DNP they should not use it and instead contact the Food Standards Agency directly or their local authority.”
The substance is banned for human consumption but is available as it is also used as a pesticide.
It has been linked with more than 60 deaths worldwide.
And last September, Sarah Houston, 23, whose parents are both doctors, died in Leeds where she was a student after secretly taking DNP in the form of capsules.
She had been seeking help for bulimia and at an inquest into her death earlier this year in Wakefield, local coroner David Hinchliff said DNP was “entirely” responsible for Miss Houston’s death. Demanding a crackdown on the sale of the capsules, he said manufacturers knew they were bought for weight control.
He said: “The only motive for manufacturing a toxic substance as a slimming aid would be to profit from people who have the misfortune of having a condition such as Sarah’s.
“Anyone who professionally manufactures capsules to be taken as a drug has the intention of people using it as a drug. Sarah’s death is a consequence of that.”
Miss Houston had taken DNP along with a prescription anti-depressant.
The combination of the two drugs, which both boost the metabolism, may have proved fatal, the inquest heard.
DNP is sold mostly over the internet under a number of different names. The manufactured drug is yellow and odourless and was previously used as a herbicide and fungicide.
It was launched as a slimming aid in the US in the 1930s but then banned in 1938 due to its side-effects.
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