February 4, 1999
THE SWEET CHEMICAL
THAT MAY KILL YOU
See also this other document about Neotame entitled "Neotame: A poison more potent than Aspartame that could soon be approved by the FDA unless massive public protest is unleashed".
ASPARTAME, THE SWEET KILLER THAT MILLIONS SWALLOW, IS FINALLY GETTING SOME LONG OVERDUE
ATTENTION... AND YET THE DRAMA CONTINUES AND THE POISONING NEVER CEASES
What would you say if a company would create a chemical product masquerading as a
potent sweetener to insidiously poison a large segment of the population, generate
billions of dollars of medical bills and, in the process, force millions of people
to live a miserable life and die prematurely, after suffering from blindness, Alzheimer, Parkinson's
Disease, diabetes or any of a number of other serious health problems?
And how would you react if you knew that this company has been able to buy its way
through the FDA approval process to successfully saturate the food market - it is
now found in well over 5000 different food products - and many vitamin supplements
tainted with this toxic product, a neurotoxin so lethal and powerful that it has been proven
to be responsible for the onset or the aggravation of a vast number of health disorders
such as multiple sclerosis, seizures, brain tumors, lupus and birth defects?
You would immediately think that the people responsible for such a monstrous scheme
should be immediately arrested and thrown into jail and the damn product entirely
taken out from the market and banned forever. Yet, on the contrary, the people culpable
of such an inhumane crime live the posh life of millionaires and are fully protected
by a network of accomplices ranging from the governments, the medical and pharmaceutical
industries, the food processing and pop beverage giants of the world, and even, to
a certain extent, by the media.
You see, many wealthy people have a vested interest in keeping the people ill and
diminished so as to both better drain them of their money and keep them under the
spell of so many diseases that they barely have time and attention to consider questioning
the status quo and their dictatorial power over our lives.
Now if you wonder why the author of these lines links this treacherous chemical named
aspartame with the powerful elites that strive to run the world, the reason is that
it's the only sensible way to explain why there has been for so many years such a
tight cover up of this whole mess. But now, thanks to the heroic dedication and courage
of just a few people who have been recently branded "Toxic Cyber-Terrorists" by the
US national press and on CNN last January 29, 1999, and thanks to the Internet-facilitated people power, this situation is beginning to show signs of hope.
Betty Martini, a lady from Atlanta, Georgia (USA) who discovered first-hand the intoxicating
effects of aspartame (see her personal story below and read also - if you have not seen it yet - the document by Nancy Markle widely circulated on the Internet which sparked a renewed interest for this issue but which was actually a transcript from a conference given by Betty Martini), began in 1992 to actively campaign
to wake up America and the world to the debilitating effects of this chemical calamity, and founded the activist group "Mission Possible". Another hero of this
protracted fight is Dave Rietz, from South Carolina, who has created one of the most
extensive websites on this issue at www.dorway.com and who is also campaigning and
writing non-stop to raise hell against the complacent US federal authorities who chose
in 1981 to close their eyes on the dangerous potential of aspartame for creating
havoc with the human central nervous system as demonstrated in some initial FDA studies
-- which reported 92 documented symptoms from coma to death triggered by aspartame.
Since then, a number of independent studies and medical reports by reputed physicians
have clearly revealed the broad range of health problems that can be directly traced
back to a regular intake of aspartame-laced products, ranging from diet soft drinks
to all kinds of diet food (if it says "No sugar", take a closer look!), adults and
children vitamin supplements (see partial list below) and a number of pharmaceutical
products.
Here are some examples of those reported observations.
In neurosurgeon Dr. Russell Blaylock's book "Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills,"
he writes that aspartame causes major neurological changes, and in heavy users, may
even precipitate lupus and methanol toxicity, which at first appears to be multiple
sclerosis. The ingredients in NutraSweet literally stimulate the neurons of the brain to
death causing brain damage of varying degrees. Methanol is mentioned here because,
when heated beyond 86 F, aspartame, which is not chemically stable, degrades into
a number of by-products such as methanol (used as an industrial solvent and in automobile
antifreeze - it is also a severe metabolic poison), DKP (cause brain tumor), aspartate,
formaldehyde and formic acid. The infamous Gulf War Syndrome has even been attributed
by some to the large quantities of diet soft drinks the affected US military personnel
drank during this war operation. Because those beverages were stored under extremely
hot desert temperatures, the aspartame it contains metamorphosed into the witch brew of poisonous chemicals mentioned above.
So who are we to believe? The activists who are almost singlehandedly turning the
table around and now successfully putting the culprits in the dock for everyone to
see what they have done, or the industry p.r. teams who try to make then look like
"Toxic Cyber-Terrorists"? The thousands of people who got so much better when they stopped
using aspartame or the belated last-ditch efforts of the FDA and industry spokespersons
who, like the tobacco industry CEO liars in chief, persist in pretending that all
their studies show that this product cannot harm you?
You have a responsibility, if you choose to believe the former rather than the latter,
to use whatever means at your disposal to alert everyone you cherish to this public
menace and make sure no one ever continues to suffer and die needlessly when the
solution is so simple. Just say "NO" to aspartame and all those who would like you to
believe their falsities. Some may want to seek compensation for what they have endured
and that is their rightful choice. Justice must be rendered. But for now, let's make
sure we put an end to the suffering and keep our eyes and ears open to never let another
such tragedy and violation of our right to a safe food supply ever happen again.
We must not forget either that, for purely commercial motives, nearly 80% of our food
supply already contains some genetically manipulated plants with potential consequences
that may far outstrip the short term financial benefits sought by an elite minority. The synthetic bovine growth hormones (rbGH) which is still being used in the USA
to boost milk production in cows has been definitely banned in Canada and Europe
because its resulting by-products in the milk and meat have been found to be dangerous
for human health. The list of food products which now routinely undergo intense irradiation
to prolong their shelf life with no benefit and all risks for the population is quickly
growing with no one ever informed of this through proper labelling to let, like in Europe, the consumers choose which food they prefer to eat. Chemical products by
the hundreds are still routinely used in the agribusiness industry to boost production,
kill pests and make the fruits and vegetables look good. But are they really that
good for your heath? Only certified organic products can insure you and your children
that you won't get poisoned by cancer-producing chemicals.
The road to health is fraught with terrible dangers today and the choices that must
be made as to the safety of what we eat and drink is quickly slipping out of our
hands. Shall we let faceless government officials and industry traffickers make those
choice for us?
The answer to this crucial question lies into your heart my friend...
Jean Hudon
Earth Rainbow Network Coordinator
http://www.cybernaute.com/earthconcert2000
P.S. The author of this article wishes to state that he is not involved with Mission
Possible, has not been paid by anyone to express these views and is the sole person
responsible for them. Also, upon request by simply sending "Add me to your list"
in the subject field of your email, at <globalvisionary@cybernaute.com>, your name will
be added to his emailing list and you will automatically receive occasional updates on a broad
range of subjects including those pertaining more directly to the Millennium Gathering
project - check the website above for more details.
See all the following complementary material also available below and much, much more including feedbacks from people who received this.
***PLEASE REPOST THIS TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE***
To reach the main spokespersons on this issue:
Betty Martini <Mission-Possible-USA@Altavista.net>
Dave Rietz <webmaster@dorway.com>
www.dorway.com main page just zipped past 280,000 hits and the interest is growing
daily by leaps and bounds! Give it a look too!
Phone calls and e-mails range in the hundreds daily from Hong Kong, New Zealand, Europe,
South America... a group of Nuns in the Philippines, and all points in between!!
Hits on the Dorway site have gone from an average of 400 per day to 3600 hits a day
... Hospitals and clinics the world over are calling Betty to ask her to take their
forwarded calls because their lines are so tied up they cannot handle emergencies!
*
"I know that the average consumer has a devil-may-care something-is-gonna-kill-me-anyway
attitude... but they don't realize that before THIS stuff kills they are going to
have a miserable declining existence with LOTS of pain and other problems (not to
mention cancer, tumors, and maybe even Alzheimer or similar things) before death solves
the problem."
- An Aspartame Victim
From: "Betty Martini" <Mission-Possible-USA@Altavista.net>
To: "jean hudon" <globalvisionary@cybernaute.com>
Subject: Personal story needed for your article
Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1999
Dear Jean
I am not a victim of aspartame, although I've accidentally used it and gotten sick.
Dr. Ron Austin, a chiropractor from California visited me some years ago and said:
"Did you know that NutraSweet is a literal poison ?" And he gave me an article he
wrote. Sometime later a friend of mine was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and all of
a sudden he appeared to be dying. His arms and legs would kick out, and his mouth
wouldn't form words. He was like a toy soldier out of control. He lost his memory
and had to be helped to a podium to deliver a prayer to thousands at an assembly and then appeared
to be "reading it". Prior to this he was a fantastic speaker. It didn't make sense
to me, you don't get Parkinson's Disease one day and die the next. I asked him if
he was on NutraSweet and he said "yes", and I told him to get off of it. I tried to
find the world expert and was referred to Dr. Roberts. He told me to get him off
quickly because it changed the dopamine level in the brain. I was shocked to say
the least learning it was a drug, not an additive, that changes brain chemistry. A week later
Dick was back to normal, and could speak again, his memory returned and his "kick
out" motions stopped.
I was dumbfounded that such a thing was on the market that could kill so quickly and
he would have died had I not found out what it was. I said something about it at
his house later and how it mimicked Multiple Sclerosis (MS) as it destroyed the central
nervous system, having now read Dr. Roberts book "Aspartame (Nutrasweet) Is it Safe?"
(Charles Press). Alicia Morris said: "But I have been diagnosed with MS by two physicians
and I drink 3 Diet Cokes a day ." She also said she was losing her memory, almost
blind in one eye, was having pains in her legs, could no longer skate and had many
other symptoms. After five weeks off aspartame, all symptoms disappeared. Her vision
was restored as well as her memory. Alicia had been married for over 3 years and
had never been able to get pregnant (aspartame triggers infertility as well as birth defects
- infertility because it changes the menses). Her story was told in First for Women,
a national magazine in l997 with a picture of her and her new healthy baby boy. Consider had Alicia not heard me mention aspartame destroys the central nervous system
and gotten off Diet Coke she would probably not be alive today.
And it was only a few weeks after that, that another friend, Gloria Collins said to
me: "Betty, I believe I'm dying, my eye doctor says I'm going blind and I'm afraid
I will be diagnosed with MS. I also have insomnia and hallucinations and horrible
pains in my legs." Gloria was ingesting several packets of Equal per day. Weeks later her
insomnia disappeared, her vision returned and pains in her legs were gone. The hallucinations
are caused by the flooding of the brain by phenylalanine, and these too disappeared.
It wasn't long after that event that my husband's aunt's granddaughter came to town
and had to leave because of her seizures. Pamela used to drink 6 packs of diet drinks
in the warm California sun. Her parents had spent 1/4 million on her because she
kept wanting to commit suicide and didn't know why (caused by the depletion of serotonin
to the brain). I got her off aspartame and the seizures about went away but I believe
so much damage has been done to her brain she may never work again. She has disappeared and no one has been able to find her yet.
I know this is long but I'm trying to get over how I realized, like Dr. James Bowen
said to the FDA, that this was mass poisoning of the American public and now in more
than 100 countries around the world. And nobody associates the problems with aspartame
because Monsanto funds the trade organizations and gives money to the American Medical
Association (AMA).
I was in a dilemma because you can't have this knowledge and just sit back and do
nothing and let people die. I interviewed Richard Wilson who lost his wife Joyce
to NutraSweet; she went blind, was misdiagnosed as having MS and then died like an
Alzheimer victim with no memory. He said he had gotten thousands of people off aspartame to
return to healthy normal lives but was saddened they had not warned others. He said
if they had warned one person a day, it would have gotten around the world in no
time. And so our warning flyer was created that said on the reverse "make copies and distribute
to everyone you know, physician, lawyer, etc." And so was born Mission Possible International.
We started with a network of 900,000 people distributing that flyer thanks to Peter Britos who recently passed away. He was buried with military honors as a
Lt. Colonel retired from the Air Force. With the 21 gun salute, I told the Air Force
they had no idea what a hero he was. They traveled the world helping me saturate
the globe with flyers and his wife Janice, an international flight attendant distributed
packets to Air Traffic Controls to keep the planes in the skies.
I knew I could not fight Monsanto, the FDA, the pop companies, the trade organizations,
the AMA and industry by myself, so I asked the world to help. I started Mission Possible
operations throughout the US and throughout the world, now having Mission possible United Kingdom, Sweden, Scotland, France, Holland, Peru, Mexico, Italy, Finland,
Australia, New Zealand, Canada, etc., etc. These wonderful people too have worked
hard to get the information to people all over the globe. My favorite quote has always
been: " Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to produce uncommon results."
And so with this global team, thousands of lives are saved continually. And I must
say Jean, with your efforts, they recently appear to have doubled. I am very grateful
to you and to Shoshanna. I know that rage must rise up in the very nostril of Almighty
Jehovah God for this crime of the century.
We estimate 5 out of 7 people on aspartame already have the symptoms or some disease
and so it has taken my entire life, day and night. And so this is the story of Mission
Possible International. The operations are all run by incredible people like Dave
Rietz who have a heart of goodness and work for the good of humanity. He found the information
that saved his life on Internet and said, when he set up DORway, that he was giving
back to Internet what Internet gave to him - his life!
You've noticed I have a problem with brevity. I have so many facts in my head and
I know the public should have this information. I think women will be OUTRAGED when
they find out Monsanto funded a study, knows it will cause birth defects and advertises
to pregnant women to use the poison anyway.
We're looking for Monsanto informants and we're going to break this open. Dr. Roberts
wrote an article about me in a medical magazine titled "Profile of a Super Volunteer
Activist", and this tells much of the story up to l996 before we had so many operations.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Betty
P.S. Dr. H. J. Roberts has now declared aspartame disease to be a world epidemic and
is in the process of publishing a medical text on this world plague. It will soon
be available through the DORway web site or from 1 800 814-9800. See also Dr. Roberts
web site of publications which is http://www.icanect.net/sunpress. I really believe there
has never been an epidemic like this in world history!
Date: Wed, 03 Feb 1999 09:46:55 -0500
From: Betty Martini <Mission-Possible-USA@Altavista.net>
Subject: NutraSweet effects mimic Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
I spoke with someone in News this morning who is checking out our web site at www.dorway.com
on this and he told me I could fax information to the Assignment Desk.
Here's what happened. I lectured for the World Environmental Conference when Dr. Gaylord
of the EPA said there is an epidemic of MS and lupus and we cannot identify the toxin
? I said: "I'm here to lecture on MS and lupus and identify the toxin as NutraSweet?
When I returned to Atlanta I got in a discussion with neurologists on Internet and
H. J. Roberts, M.D., who has declared aspartame disease to be a world epidemic and
is publishing a medical text on the plague, helped by writing a position paper attached
MS or Aspartame Disease?
MS and lupus patients all over the world who use aspartame have called outraged. I
would say the majority actually have Aspartame Disease. So a support list was set
up on the Internet to help these people and you can get a digest and read what is
happening. Some of the cases are just being sent back to me as consumer gets off aspartame
- and surprise, surprise, symptoms begin to disappear. When you read "for the first
time in years I can feel my toes", and "I can think again, the fog is gone", " My
remember has returned", etc., etc. its very heart-warming. The evidence is in thousands and
thousands of case histories of people regaining their health after shattered years
of disability and pain.
The MS Association? I have no sympathy for them. For years we have sent them information
and so has Dr. Roberts. They ignore it. Why would they do that? Think about it. I
would hate to believe that because the more MS patients the more donations, but since the evidence is written in books and they have been written and sent medical documentation,
what is the answer? At the MS walk here we gave out that medical documentation to
the walkers while the MS association fumed and screamed!!!! What they gave out was Diet Coke.
If you will listen to a lecture by neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock, M.D., on www.dorway.com,
you will hear him say that the reactions to aspartame are not allergic in nature
but toxic, like arsenic and cyanide. As Dr. James Bowen told the FDA, we're talking
here about "mass poisoning of the American public and more than 70 countries of the
world".
We have thousands of cases on file. So many thousands came in during the distribution
of this article on the Internet that my computer crashed. This may end up being one
of the largest epidemics in world history.
The FDA and MS Association ran to CNN to deny it all when the real aspartame story
came out in the news last week. They know better. I talked to the FDA and told them
to stop telling people aspartame is safe since we have their own FDA audit on DORway
with the horror of the original studies that was the target of an indictment for fraud
that was not carried out when two U.S. Prosecutors went to work for the law firm
defending the case and let the statute of limitations expire. When the District Attorney
goes to work for the godfather expect acquittal.
Furthermore, we have the damning CDC investigation on DORway and even the protest
of the National Soft Drink Association showing they knew aspartame was poison before
they put it in pop. The only thing the FDA said was: "We can't refute that." But
they were swamped with calls and have tried to defend their position. The facts are they can't
- they approved a chemical poison for human consumption.
Email help@dorway.com with nothing in the message text and nothing in the subject
line and get a map of the 450 pages on the www.dorway.com site. Responsible journalism
always shows both sides. This is the side that is yanking many Aspartame Disease
victims from the very jaws of death. Let the people know its true.
While it mimics MS as it destroys the central nervous system, you still end up with
CNS destruction just like Joyce Wilson, see story attached. And legitimate MS can
go on for years but Aspartame Disease can kill you just like it did Joyce. So if
someone has MS from some other reason and is using aspartame which destroys the central nervous
system imagine how it will speed up their death. Don't you think they need to be
warned?
Might check out whether the MS Society gets funds from Monsanto, Coke, Pepsi, etc.
Why don't they want these people to know? What is their motive?
Betty Martini, Founder
Mission Possible International
A worldwide volunteer force in many states in the US and many countries of the world
warning all consumers off aspartame - Call us at 770 242-2599 (My phone is often
busy all day because of victims and media calling - so if you can't get through to
me, you can email me or fax me at 770 242-2596.
1. Take the 60-day No Aspartame Test and send us your case history. Mission Possible
International
5950-H State Bridge Rd. #215
Duluth, GA 30097 USA
2. Tell your doctor and all of your friends! 3. Return Asparcidal food to the store.
(anything with Monsanto's NutraSweet/Equal/Spoonful/Benevia/NatraTaste)
VISIT www.dorway.com
Get links to over 30 sites on aspartame VISIT http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/;
..FAQs & Cases VISIT http://www.notmilk.com Exposing Bovine Growth Hormone
Disability and Death are not acceptable costs of business!
See also in Focus, in the November
l998 issue, an article on aspartame entitled What's Blinding the World!
OTHER COMPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
George Schwartz <drgschwartz@yahoo.com> wrote: To: Team Nutrasweet Monsanto
Date: 2/2/99
Subject: Correcting Internet Myths About NutraSweet
In your response to the email article regarding the dangers of aspartame, you have
presented a one-sided self-serving polemic defending your potentially dangerous product.
By ignoring the scientific studies which disagree with your position, you are doing
a great disservice to consumers. Further, you may have created a base for litigation
against your company by denying the existing science.
As one example, your comment that "formate is quickly eliminated by the body" is demonstrably
false. Your response states that "the body converts the methanol to formaldehyde
which is instantly converted to a metabolite called formate." The study done by Trocho et al., Formaldehyde derived from dietary aspartame binds to tissue components
in vivo. Life Sciences 63:5:p.337-49, 1998, clearly demonstrates cellular persistence
and accumulation, or in layman's terms, that formaldehyde can remain and accumulate
in the body.
As another example, you claim that tomato juice contains methanol (commonly known
as wood alcohol). "Team Nutrasweet" says in their response "there is four to five
times more methanol obtained from a serving of tomato juice than from an equivalent
volume of beverage sweetened with aspartame." I challenge your make-up artists to scientifically
demonstrate that wood alcohol is present in tomato juice at the levels you allege.
On the other hand, upon chemical analysis, methanol will be found in aspartame, as
it is a basic component of this substance.
As to the incidence of neurologic degenerative diseases, Monsanto's response claims
there has been no change in Alzheimer's disease, MS, lupus, and other diseases. Yet
many sources tell a different story. (Evans, et al. Prevalence of Probable Alzheimer's
Disease in persons aged 85 and older, JAMA 262 (1989)2531-2556; Blaylock R, Excitotoxins:
The Taste that Kills, Health Press, 1998, p. 107; and Lilienfeld et al: Two Decades
of Increasing Mortality from Parkinson's Disease among the US Elderly, Arch Neurol
47(1990):731-734.) But then again, Team Nutrasweet's spin doctors appear to not be
interested in studies which don't promote the use of their product.
There is overwhelming scientific evidence that Nutrasweet can pose a serious health
danger. I applaud the Internet's remarkable capacity to transmit the truth beyond
the reach of your corporate advertising dollars.
George R. Schwartz, M.D. Board-certified physician
From: Jon Baum <info@aspartamekills.com>
Please be advised that the "natural flavorings" in Celestial Seasonings Tea contains
"free glutamic acid", the bad part of MSG. This was confirmed by the manufacturer.
All products with "natural flavoring" are suspect as most manufacturers refuse to
disclose what their natural flavorings are and categorize them as proprietary information.
If it goes in our bodies, we have a right to know what is in it. A complete list
of "hidden sources of MSG" is available at http://www.truthinlabeling.org
Jon Baum
Mission Possible Nations Capitol
Webmaster- http://aspartamekills.com
From: ADandJACK@aol.com
Date: Tue, 2 Feb 1999
To: Mission-Possible-USA@Altavista.net
Subject: Re: Aspartame Debunkers
Betty:
Congratulations. I have heard that someone who you do not know, by the name of Nancy
Markle, has brought a lot of attention to the aspartame issue, and that aspartame
is on the ropes.
My caution is that if aspartame dies, the FDA may jump in and approve neotame, I would
suggest that when providing information on aspartame, you may want to mention that
Monsanto is attempting to get approval for neotame, a product that is basically chemically identical to aspartame, and which will likely cause the same adverse reactions
in humans as does aspartame.
When we checked with the FDA about a year ago regarding Monsanto's application for
neotame, the file included three limited human studies. Some of the subjects in those
studies suffered headaches after ingestion of neotame, but Monsanto claimed that
the headaches were not related to the neotame. As of the date of our review, Monsanto had
conducted NO neurological studies on neotame.
I would hope that Markle and others realize that processed free glutamic acid (MSG)
is, like aspartame, neurotoxic, and causes identical adverse reactions as the aspartic
acid component of aspartame. They should be particularly concerned about the EPA's
approval of AuxiGro for spraying on agricultural crops. AuxiGro contains 29.2% processed
free glutamic acid (MSG).
Simplot is already using AuxiGro on potato crops in Idaho. I have already received
reports of MSG-type reactions from potatoes. In fact, I had a life threatening attack
from a baked potato.
If AuxiGro is as effective as its manufacturer claims in improving yield and size
of fruits and vegetables, it will be used widely. The manufacturer wants the product
to be used on all vegetation, including lawns and all trees.
Jack
Letter from Senator Howard Metzenbaum on United States Senate Stationary (Committee
on the Budget) dated February 3, 1986 to Orrin Hatch who was the Chairman of the
Labor and Human Resources Committee, Metzenbaum was a member of this committee, along
with Ted Kennedy Strom Thurmond, Lowell Weicker, Christopher Dodd, Dan Quale, John Kerry
and others.
Dear Orrin;
NutraSweet, manufactured by the G.D. Searle Company, is currently being consumed in
ever-increasing amounts by over 100 million Americans. Last year, Americans consumed
over 20 billion cans of diet soft drinks, the vast majority of which were sweetened
with 100 percent NutraSweet. The average consumer assumes that all safety questions surrounding
this sweetener had been resolved long before it found its way onto every grocery
shelf in America.
A recent investigation under taken by my office raises serious questions as to whether
this is, in fact, the case. These questions can only be resolved by Congressional
hearings, with full subpoena power, being undertaken by the Senate Judiciary and
labor Committees.
In addition, the facts uncovered by my investigation coupled with concerns expressed
in the scientific community regarding the safety of this food additive, compel the
immediate initiation of new, truly independent safety tests on NutraSweet.
My concern focuses on the failure of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago to undertake
a grand jury investigation of NutraSweet which was requested by the Food and Drug
Administration. The investigation was to focus on possible criminal charges against
officials in the G. D. Searle Company "for concealing material facts and making false
statements" in reports of safety tests on NutraSweet and the drug, Aldactone. (Doc#1)
NutraSweet was first approved by the FDA in 1974. However, concerns about the credibility
of Searle's tests led the Investigation Task Force to stay that approval in December,
1975. In 1976, an FDA investigation Task Force published a report on the testing practices at G.D. Searle Company and concluded: "At the heart of FDA's regulatory
process is its ability to rely upon the integrity of the basic safety data submitted
by sponsors of regulated products. Our investigation clearly demonstrated that, in
the G.D. Searle Company, we have no basis for such reliance now." (Doc#2)
One of the recommendations of the FDA's 1976 Task Force Report was that the agency
should ask the U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois to institute grand
jury proceedings against G.D. Searle.
It is a matter of public record that in January, 1977, the FDA formally requested
that the U.S. Attorney conduct a grand jury investigation of tests on two Searle
products; NutraSweet and Aldactone, a drug to treat hypertension. It is also known
that the U.S. Attorney declined to prosecute in December, 1978. What has not been publicly known
until now is what happened in between.
Following an investigation by my office, the following facts have been established.
The first U.S. Attorney in charge of the case Samuel Skinner did not convene a grand
jury. A year after he was initially informed of FDA's interest in prosecuting Searle,
and two months after he received the agency's formal request for grand jury action,
he "recused" himself from the case, citing preliminary employment discussions with
the law firm of Sidley and Austin, the firm which was then defending Searle in the
investigation. He asked his subordinates to keep his discussions confidential "to
avoid any undue embarrassment upon the firm of Sidley and Austin." (emphasis supplied).Doc#10).
Mr. Skinner joined Sidley and Austin four months later.
Sidley and Austin requested a meeting with Mr. Skinner "prior to the submission to
the grand jury of any matters relating to this company." (Doc#6) When the meeting
was held, Mr. Newton Minow attended (Doc.#7) Mr. Minow is the partner at Sidley and
Austin who offered Mr. Skinner his job with the firm (Doc#8). The meeting was held a month
prior to Mr. Skinner "recusing" himself from the case.
In his recusal letter, Mr. Skinner stated his understanding that the decision as to
whether or not a grand jury investigation should be conducted would await the arrival
of a new U.S. Attorney. (A period which lasted four months). (Doc.#11).
However, no grand jury action was taken before the appointment of a new U.S. Attorney.
This four month delay in the grand jury investigation took place at a time when nearly
four and a -half years of a five year statute of limitations on the NutraSweet tests
cited by the FDA had already expired.
Shortly after the appointment of the new U.S. Attorney, Mr. Thomas Sullivan, the FDA
wrote to Justice noting the delays which had occurred in the case and urged the U.
S. Attorney, to " proceed expeditiously." The FDA also cited additional problems
they had discovered with a key NutraSweet safety test and noted "further criminal culpability--
the failure to report these problems to the FDA-- may also be revealed which could
require submission to the grand jury." (Doc#16).
The Justice Department also wrote to Mr. Sullivan a month after he assumed office
complaining about the amount of time which had transpired on the case. Letter states
Justice knows of no reason why "grand jury should not at least investigate." (Doc#17).
By the time any case agianst Searle was presented to the grand jury, NutraSweet was
dropped from the investigation. This means the issue of whether tests on NutraSweet
were fraudulent, which was raised by the 1976 task Force Report, was never put to
the grand jury.
We have been informed by Justice there is no record of the U.S. Attorney writing to
the FDA to inform the agency that the investigation would proceed on Aldactone alone..
According to a Justice Department memo, (Doc#21), Mr. William Conlon, the Senior Assistant
U.S. Attorney assigned to the Searle case "reduced or ended" his involvement in the
investigation eighteen months after first being assigned to the case. One year later he accepted a position with Sidley and Austin, the firm which represented Searle
in the investigation. (DOC#28).
Key seizure test on NutraSweet was never investigated by grand jury. During a Searle
sponsored monkey test, all the animals receiving medium or high dosages of NutraSweet
experienced Grand mal Seizures (Doc#28). Searle never performed autopsies. The FDA
said Searle made at least four false statements and entries in the report of the study.
(Doc#1). Though the FDA later claimed it did not rely on the study to prove safety,
the seizures were never explained. Failure to account for these seizures is of particular significance given current concerns expressed in the scientific community on precisely
this issue. In the November 9, 1985, edition of Lancet , a recognized authority on
brain chemistry, Dr. Richard Wurtman, cited case studies which suggest an association between NutraSweet and Grand Mal seizures. (Doc#29).
Test on key breakdown component of NutraSweet, DKP, was never investigated by grand
jury. In July, 1977, the FDA wrote to Justice telling them that FDA inspectors were
reviewing a key test on DKP, which raise issues that "could require submission to
the grand jury." The U.S. Attorney never submitted the test to the grand jury." In the conducting
of the study tissue masses were not reported and uterine polyps were discovered.
(Doc#30)
It is a matter of public record that back in 1970, the G.D. Searle Company drew up
a "strategy memo" on how to get NutraSweet approved by the FDA. In the memo, they
committed themselves to obtaining a favorable review of NutraSweet by seeking to
develop within FDA personnel a "subconscious spirit of participation" in the Searle studies.
The memo emphasized the importance of getting the FDA in the "habit of saying yes",
by first submitting to the FDA those safety issues involving little or no breakdown
of NutraSweet into DKP. (Doc#31).
In-House FDA memos showing credibility of key tumor tests were questioned by FDA scientists
prior to Commissioner Hayes' approval of
NutraSweet. The problems with the credibility of Searle's tests on NutraSweet continued
right up to the time FDA Commissioner Hayes overruled a public board of inquiry and
approved the food additive in 1981.
Two months prior to approval, the Commissioner was advised by three of his own scientists
that three key tumor tests, including the test on DKP, were questionable and that
safety had not been proven. (Doc#26)
I am attaching to this letter a time-line which will highlight the sequence of these
events. I am also including an extensive list of documents relating to the grand
jury investigation. These documents raise the question as to whether the investigation
of the G.D. Searle Company and in particular, the food additive, NutraSweet, was properly
conducted.
We will not be able to answer that question without Congressional hearings, with full
subpoena power.
As I mentioned earlier, NutraSweet is a product currently being used by 100 million
Americans. The fact that a grand jury never investigated charges that Searle concealed
"material facts" and made "false statements" (Doc#1) on NutraSweet tests is a matter
of serious concern. One can only speculate on what a grand jury with full investigative
powers would have uncovered and how that information in turn would have affected
the credibility of those tests in the approval process.
There are also the concerns being voiced by scientists over whether key questions
of safety have been adequately resolved.
I am including a brief synopsis of recent scientific work raising questions about
NutraSweet.
In conclusion, we have a grand jury which never investigated whether criminal fraud
was committed on NutraSweet tests, coupled with continuing concerns being expressed
in the scientific community regarding this food additive's safety.
I urge you, Orrin, to hold oversight hearings on the health concerns which have been
raised about NutraSweet. It is the only way we can hope to dispel the cloud hanging
over the food additive presently being consumed in massive quantities by the American
people.
Very sincerely yours,
Howard M. Metzenbaum
United States Senator
AND 13 YEARS LATER, THIS MATTER HAS STILL NOT BEEN PROPERLY RESOLVED...
Use of Aspartame By Pharmaceutical Companies
Copyright 1996 Leading Edge Research
Aspartame is not only used in food, per se, but is also used in pharmaceutical products.
You might be surprised by the number of products that contain aspartame. A sample
research project was initiated in April 1994, with requests to companies that produce pharmaceuticals. A number of companies failed to respond to a request for information.
Some companies did respond. Pumping aspartame into children is a priority:
Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceuticals: The only product made by J&J/Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals
containing aspartame is Mylanta Natural Fiber Supplement, Sugar Free.
Lederle Laboratories: Centrum Jr vitamins contain aspartame.
McNeil Consumer Products: The following McNeil Products contain aspartame:
Childrens TYLENOL acetaminophen Fruit Flavored Chewable Tablets Childrens TYLENOL
acetaminophen Grape Flavored Chewable Tablets Childrens TYLENOL acetaminophen Cold
Multi-Symptom Chewable Tablets Junior Strength TYLENOL acetaminophen Fruit Flavored
Chewable Tablets Junior Strength TYLENOL acetaminophen Grape Flavored Chewable Tablets PEDIACARE
Cold-Allergy Tablets for Ages 6 to 12 PEDIACARE Cough-Cold Tablets for Ages 6 to
12 PEDICARE Childrens Cold Relief Tablets TYLENOL Cold and Flu Hot Medication
TYLENOL Cold and Flu No Drowsiness Formula Hot Medication Childrens Chewable CO-TYLENOL
Miles Incorporated: The following Miles products contain aspartame:
ALKA-SELTZER PLUS Night-time Cold Medicine ALKA-SELTZER PLUS Cold and Cough Medicine
ALKA-SELTZER PLUS Sinus Allergy Medicine BUGS BUNNY Vitamin Products (ALL)
FLINTSTONES Plus Calcium Multivitamin Supplement FLINTSTONES Complete Multivitamin
Supplement FLINTSTONES Childrens Chewable Multivitamin
A.H. Robbins Company, Inc: The following Robbins product contains aspartame.
DIMETAPP Cold and Allergy Chewable Tablets
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company:
The following BMS product contains aspartame: CEFZIL
Mead Johnson Nutritionals: The following MJN products contain aspartame:
TEMPRA 3 Chewable Tablets, 80mg acetaminophen tablet (3.3mg phenylalinine/tab)
TEMPRA 3 Double Strength Chewable Tablets, 160mg acetominophen (6.6mg Phen/tab)
Glaxo Pharmaceuticals: The following Glaxo product contains aspartame: Zantac
Efferdose
Bio-Pharmaceutics: The following Bio-Pharmaceutics products contain aspartame:
Childrens Chewable Acetiminophen
Pennex Products: The following Pennex Products subsidiaries manufacture products containing
aspartame: (Most introduced in 1987):
American Stores: SKAGGS ALPHA BETA Childrens Pain Reliever Consumer Value Stores:
CVS Childrens Non-Aspirin Pain Reliever Drug Guild Dist: DRUG GUILD childrens anti-pain
Chewable Tablets First Nat'l Supermarkets: FINAST Childrens Non-Aspirin Pain Reliever
Greenbax Enterprises: PRICE-WISE Childrens Non-Aspirin Pain Reliever Hannaford Bros:
SHOP'N SAVE Childrens Non-Aspirin Pain Reliever J.C.Penny: TREASURY Childrens Chewable
Non-Aspirin Pain Reliever Kinney Drugs: KINNEY'S Childrens Chewable Non-Aspirin Pain Reliever LaVerdiere's Super Drug: LV ACTION SOOTHSALL Childrens Non-Aspirin Legend
Pharmaceuticals: LEGEND Childrens Chewable Non-Aspirin P.R. Malone & Hyde: HYDE PARK
Childrens Non-Aspirin Pain Reliever Marsh Supermarkets: MARSH Childrens Non-Aspirin
Pain Reliever Osco Drug: OSCO Childrens Chewable Non-Aspirin Pain Reliever Pay'n Save
Stores: PAY"N SAVE Childrens Chewable Non-Aspirin Pain Reliever
Penned Products: GOOD HEALTH Childrens Non-Aspirin Pain Reliever Peoples Drug Stores:
PEOPLES Childrens Chewable Non-Aspirin Pain Reliever
Piggly Wiggly Corp: PIGGLY WIGGLY Childrens Chewable Non-Aspirin P.R. Rite Aid Corp.:
RITE AID Childrens Aceteminophen Non-Aspirin Pain Reliever
Scriver: SUPER TRU Childrens Non-Aspirin Pain Reliever (Acetaminophen) Wegman's Food
Markets: WEGMANS Childrens Chewable Acetaminophen
Whitehall Labs: The following Whitehall Labs product contains aspartame:
Childrens Anacin-3 Chewable Tablets
Cenci Powder: The following Cenci products contain aspartame:
NATURLAX Natural Fiber Laxative
LIFE LINE Natural Fiber Laxative
H & PC Products: The following H&PC product contains aspartame:
SUGAR FREE METAMUCIL
L.Perrigo: The following subsidiary product lines contain aspartame:
Eckerd: ECKERD Sugar Free Natural Fiber Laxative Fay's: FAY's Sugar Free Natural Vegetable
Laxative Longs: LONGS Sugar Free Natural Vegetable Powder Laxative Payless: PAYLESS
Sugar Free Natural Vegetable Powder Laxative Perrigo: Sugar Free Natural Vegetable Powder Perry: PERRY Drug Stores Sugar Free Natural Veg.Powder Bulk Laxative Raley's:
RALEY's Sugar Free Natural Vegetable Powder Rite Aid: RITE AID Sugar Free Regular
Flavor Nat.Veg.Bulk Powder Squibb: SQUIBBCARE Sugar Free Natural Fiber Laxative Thrifty: THRIFTY Sugar Free Natural Vegetable Laxative
Hall Laboratories: The following Hall Labs products contain aspartame:
HEALTH BALANCE Childrens Chewable Multivitamin ZOO CHEWS Animal-Shaped Chewable Multivitamin
Mediguard: The following Mediguard product contains aspartame:
MEDIGUARD Childens Multivitamin Supplement (Cherry,Orange and Grape)
Equate: The following Equate product contains aspartame:
EQUATE Chewable Vitamins Animal-Shaped (with Iron)
Meijer: The following Meijer product contains aspartame:
MEIJER CIRCUS SHAPES (Complete with Calcium,Iron and Minerals) MIEJER CIRCUS SHAPES
(with Iron)
Perrigo: The following additional Perrigo product contains aspartame:
ANIMAL SHAPES Chewable Vitamins Plus Extra C ANIMAL SHAPES Chewable Vitamins Complete
ANIMAL SHAPES Chewable Vitamins With Iron
Raley's: The following Raleys product contains aspartame:
Childrens Chewable Vitamins With Iron
Lifeline Nutritional: The following subsidiary lines contain aspartame:
Lucky Stores: Mediguard Childrens Multivitamin Supplement with Iron
P.Leiner: The following Leiner subsidiary products contain aspartame:
Carls Drug Co: CARLS DRUG Childrens Chewable Multivitamin Malone & Hyde: HYDES PARK
Childrens Chewable Multivitamin Hills Dept Stores: HILLS Childrens Chewable Multivitamin
Kent Co: DART Childen's Chewable Multivitamin Big B Discount Drugs: BIG B Childrens Chewable Multivitamin LKS Products, Inc: MEDI-GUARD Childrens Chewable Multivitamins
Revco Drug Stores: REVCO Childrens Chewable Multivitamins Longs Drug Stores: LONGS
Children's Chewable Multivitamin Gray Drug Fair, Inc: GRAY DRUG FAIR Childrens Chewable Multivitamin
Pharmavite Corp:
ECKARD DRUG: Childrens Chewable Multivitamin LONGS DRUG Childrens Chewable Multivitamin
REFERENCES
Data obtained from Aspartame Research Group forwarded to Leading Edge Research. http://www.cco.net/~trufax/menu/food.html
HERE IS ALREADY ONE FEEDBACK RECEIVED;
From: Charlotte King
Subject: RESPONSE
Jean this information that you are sending out on Aspartame is very valuable
in that it can help save lives and prevent alot of illnesses that are really
not illnesses but are syndromes brought on by the use of Aspartame..
My concern is not all the illnesses you will touch on, but its focus is on
the persons who have Diabetes and are using Aspartame in an attempt to cut
down on sugar.. My husband Glen has Diabetes and because it was not
diagnosed early he has severe neuropathy but with diet control he was able
within a couple of months to get off the diabetes medications.. everything
was fine, but like alot of diabetics his sense of taste has been deminished
and he used more and more diet sugar (Aspartame or Nutrasweet "the blue
packets") all the sudden his blood sugar began to climb again averaging
about 40 points over what it was, and he began to have headaches and was
sleepy all the time..I read the reports on Aspartame and decided to try
something, I stopped the Nutrasweet/Aspartame and within 24 hours his blood
sugar was almost normal again.. and the sleepiness disappeared.. then in
checking I found that some, actually more and more diabetics are/were having
a reaction to the diet sugar and it was causing their blood sugar to rise,
the exact opposite of what they were trying to accomplish by using it in the
first place.
We went back to Sacchrine (the pink packets) and the sugar is not affected.
We had heard of the bladder cancer risks with this product so we talked to
our doctor and he told us he was involved in that research with the rats and
the way they injested the product and how it manifested was totally
different than what it is in humans.. so he said it was ok to use it.
Unfortunately the only soft drink on the shelf anymore is TAB a product of
the Coca Cola Bottleing Co, and that has sacchrine and it still has a tiny
bit ( any is too much) Aspartame.. what we need to do is demand that Coke or
Pepsi or one of the soft drink companys make a product that does not use
either of the two products listed above.. yet is a diet product..
I had heard of a product available ONLY commercially that is a sugar but is
not recognized by the body as a sugar or a carbohydrate - this would be the
answer to a dream for diet conscious America as well as the millions of
diabetics who need to restrict their sugar....
(NOTE: THIS PRODUCT EXISTS CHARLOTTE AND IT IS CALLED STEVIA - IT IS A GREEN POWDER THAT COMES FROM THE STEVIA PLANT, AND SO IT IS ENTIRELY NATURAL. IT IS SOLD IN NATURAL FOODSTORES - A TINY BIT IS ENOUGH TO SWEETEN YOUR FOOD OR BEVERAGE, ALTHOUGH IT HAS AN INTENSE, PECULIAR TASTE WHICH NEEDS SOME GETTING USED TO IT. THE ASPARTAME LOBBY HAS TRIED TO BAN IT IN THE STATES FOR FEAR OF COMPETITION. AND IT SAYS IT ALL!)
I called Atlanta Georgia and talked to COKE and they were not interested.. all they want to do is sell product.. (OF COURSE ASPARTAME IS ADDICTIVE!) they also said that there was/is no danger in using Aspartame/Nutrasweet.. that they had tested the product.. what scares me is that this product is being routinely given to pre-schoolers and school children in the form of sugar free Kool Aid as well as Jello and puddings..(WHAT A SHAME AND CRIME INDEED!) it is in more and more products and you are not even aware it is there, including vitamin pill coatings for children and ice cream and cookies etc.. pregnant women are using diet drinks to keep down their weight, there babies are suffering.
MAYBE IT'S TIME WE BEGIN CAMPAIGNING TO INSTITUTE A MASSIVE COMSUMER BOYCOTT OF SOME KEY TARGET PRODUCTS TO FORCE COMPANIES SUCH AS COKE OR PEPSI AND OTHERS TO TAKE ASPARTAM-LACED PRODUCTS OUT OF THE MARKET. THIS STRATEGY WAS SUCCESSFULLY USED AGAINST THE GIANT NESTLÉ TO FORCE THEM TO STOP AGRESSIVELY PUSHING FOR THEIR INFANT FORMULAS INSTEAD OF BREAST-FEEDING IN THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES.
IF RESULTS IS WHAT COUNTS IN THIS FIGHT, LOWER SALES IS ANY ARGUMENT THEY WILL LISTEN TO... MAYBE THE SUGAR INDUSTRY WOULD ACCEPT TO UNDERWRITE SUCH A CAMPAIGN - I'M KIDDING! THIS INDUSTRY HAS THEIR FAIR SHARE OF BLAME FOR DESTROYING THE ENVIRONMENT (FOR SUGARCANE CULTIVATION IN THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES) AND MAKING PEOPLE SICK WITH TOO MUCH SUGAR IN TOO MANY FOOD PRODUCTS.
What's interesting is that most people using diet drinks to help with weight,
will find that they do not lose weight until they get off the diet drinks
and go back to the real thing.. with sugar.. it will satisfy you more and
will help with thirst, something that diet drinks fail to do.
Pilots are having seizures increasingly often after injesting diet sodas
which is forcing the FAA to forbid that they drink any diet products before
flights.
This is one of the most dangerous products on the market, the FDA knows this
and still has not banned its use or sale... We are not being given the truth
by the manufacturers of this product or the results of testing and what it
does when it is ingested in the human body..
They say that the GULF WAR SYNDROME is in part being traced to Aspartame in
DIET PEPSI... apparently Pepsi gave thousands of cases of Diet Pepsi to the
military for the troops in the Gulf War.. these sat outside in 100+ degree
temperatures which was the problem, when Aspartame reaches a certain
temperature it converts to Formaldhyde and Methenol so when the troops drank
Pepsi they were injesting these two by-products and we all know what they use
Formaldhyde and Methanol for.. This can be verified by the fact that very
few troops on the front lines got sick, it was almost entirely the support troops, the ones who had access to the diet soft drinks who got sick..
Charlotte King
Against Aspartame
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