Some time ago back when I was still using Facebook, I saw this clickbait article:

You’ll Never Eat McDonald’s Again After Reading These 10 Horrifying Facts

I was obviously skeptical. Unless it were pictures off the brutal animal deaths then I can probably assume it's biased misinformation. I left a big comment and got hundreds of likes - but no money whatsoever.

I've no idea how to find the comment now because Facebook blows, but I felt I'd recreate the comment here to start off a new series about 'what's in stuff'... a work in progress concept. So here's the first 5 awful things in McDonald's you wanna stay well away from:

1 - Ammonium Sulfate

This is used to mass-produce bread, it is also used to fertilizer soil and kill bugs and more commonly used in strong household cleaning products...Ammonium sulphate has been linked with irritation to the gastrointestinal tract causing diarrhea and nausea.

The article points out that the FDA has approved it in low levels in food.

The first problem I have with this is the whole bread thing. Ammonium Sulfate (NH₄)₂SO₄ is a salt, and tastes like a salt and functions as a kind of 'dough conditioner', allowing more access to nitrogen for the yeast and prolonging shelf life.

According to the FDA, food must not exceed 0.15% and is 'generally recognized as safe' in these proportions. This grading is established by numerous non-governmental experts that establish a consensus of safety. Should there be a conflict of results at any time, this recognition is halted.

Besides, this is not just in McDonalds, it's in many or even most manufactured bread.

2. Silicone Oil

Chicken McNuggets are full of dimethylpolysiloxane, a silicone oil that is often used to make contact lenses and other medical items. Dimethylpolysiloxane is also an anti-foaming agent.

Scary stuff! As I often say, if you can't pronounce it, don't eat it! I only say that when I'm deliberately spouting bullshit though. Which is often.

Though comparatively few studies have been done looking into this demiaabeajfkeafoxane, the ones that have looked into it have found no health concerns. One study in particular I found released just this month showed that it might actually be used to help regrow hair on bald men!

3 - TBHQ

...it is also found in varnishes, lacquers and pesticide products. It is also used in cosmetics and perfumes to reduce the evaporation rate and improve stability. It is a chemical preservative so deadly that just five grams can kill you, but don’t panic, the FDA says it’s generally regarded as safe (GRAS).

5 grams will kill me! I sense a new assassination technique coming to the foreground; take 'em to McDonalds!

Also known as tert-Butylhydroquinon, this is a food preservative and as the site says, it's considered safe by the FDA, but also by the European equivalent, the EFSA. In very high dosages, it has been seen doing significant damage in animals such as DNA damage and some studies show it can be carcinogenic in even high dosages than that.

But at the same time, other studies show that it can actually act as a cancerous suppressant! The point is, the devil is in the dosage. 20 litres of water isn't gonna do much good to your intestinal tract either, but you don't see me running away from H2O. Studies from as far back as the 80's have been aware that there is a very wide margin of safety between amounts we use that are safe, and amounts that have adverse effects in animals. It's safe.

4 - Cysteine-L

...it is an amino acid derived from human hair, duck feathers and hog hair and is used to flavor their meat and soften their breads and pastries. This is an amino acid which also shortens the baking time of mass produced bread. This is mostly produced in China by dissolving the hair or down in acid and sent around the world as a bread softener.

This is created organically in the human body via the liver and is an amino acid necessary as part of our diet. Not only that but it can greatly benefit those with chronic health conditions such as arthritis, cataracts and intestinal problems. There are studies that show it can even improve male fertility and the immune system.

To get a hold of this industrially, manufacturers use the very normal process of hydrolysis, which separates chemical bonds through adding water.

It's fine.

5 - Propylene Glycol

Propylene glycol is a chemical compound that can be found in anti-freeze, e-cigarettes and fast food.

They love using this anti-freeze fear tactic! Again, recognized as safe by the FDA, this substance naturally breaks down in your body within 48 hours and again, poses no threat in realistic dosages. Even if one was to come into direct contact to the skin in large amounts, the symptoms are 'mild skin irritation', which I could say about table salt.

The environment is in no particular danger either, with a half life of about 24-50 hours and breaks down completely in soil and water within a week or so. It's fine.

Conclusion

So far, so good. These things sound scary, and reminding us that substances can be used in multiple ways is a surefire way to spread fear, but Salt is used as a de-icer and slug-killer. Water is used to cool nuclear material and attack rioting students. Pepper is used as a defense weapon to burn the eyes of a perpetrator.

Not everything has to be made of leaves and fresh glacial run off to be considered OK to consume.

I may continue this tomorrow but it's 4am! Goodnight all!

All Images CC licensed

References: FDA |
GRAS | Dimethylpolysiloxane | Baldness cure | TBHQ | L-cysteine |
Hydrolysis | Propylene Glycol