Acrylamide

The chemical compound acrylamide (acrylic amide) has the chemical formula C₃H₅N O and structure

It's systematic name is 2-propenamide. It is a white odorless crystalline solid, soluble in water, ethanol and ether. Most acrylamide is used to synthesize polyacrylamides which find many uses as water-soluble thickeners. These include use in waste water treatment , gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), papermaking, ore processing, and manufacture of permanent press fabrics. Some acrylamide is used in the manufacture of dyes and the manufacture of other monomers.

The CAS registry number for acrylamide is 79-06-1 and its UN number is 2074.

In April 24 2002, Swedish Livsmedelsverket (National Food Administration) announced that acrylamide may be a carcinogen, and concern was raised as it can be found in small quantities in baked and cooked foods, such as potato chips and breads. Acrylamide in baked goods is produced by the reaction between asparagine and reducing sugars (fructose, glucose, etc.) or reactive carbonyls. Acrylamide in olives and prune juice comes through another mechanism. It has been suggested that environmental pathways, such as the breakdown of the herbicide glyphosate (Roundup), are sources too. Some sources claim that people in the modern world consume daily on average around 25 micrograms of acrylamide, and that this accounts for a significant number of cases of cancer. Smoking is also a major acrylamide producer.

However, since then, further research has not revealed any connection between acrylamide intake via food and cancer in the large intestine, rectum, bladder, or kidneys. And in 2005, in a cooperation between the Harvard School of Public Health and the Swedish Karolinska Institutet, researchers were seeking a connection between acrylamide and breast cancer, but could not find any in that case either, as revealed in a press release published March 15, 2005. The current opinion among most researchers is therefore that former acrylamide reports have been exaggerated by media, although with the caveat that any substance in "astronomical doses" can still be dangerous to any organism, including humans. However, in the case of acrylamide, such doses are currently believed to be far greater than the acrylamide intake from food. Unfortunately, warnings by media had sometimes been misunderstood research reports. For example, there were earlier reports of 200-700 swedes dying annually due to acrylamide intake via food; however these results were in fact based on lab rats.

However, acrylamide may still be a carcinogen if exposed to it in larger doses. There is limited evidence large doses can cause damage to the male reproductive glands. Direct exposure to pure acrylamide by inhalation, skin absorption, or eye contact irritates the exposed mucous membranes, e.g. the nose, and can also cause sweating, urinary incontinence, nausea, myalgia, speech disorders, numbness, paresthesia, and weakened legs and hands.

In August 2005, California attorney general Bill Lockyer filed a lawsuit against top makers of french fries and potato chips to warn consumers of the potential risk of consuming acrylamide. [1]

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