EDTA As an Ingredient

EDTA is an ingredient in some pharmaceuticals, including blood anticoagulants.

German chemist F. Munz is credited with developing EDTA, which was then patented in 1930 in Germany. Across the globe and nearly two decades later, Georgetown University biochemist Frederick Bersworth patented EDTA for the Martin-Dennis company in 1949. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency approve the use of EDTA in various everyday products and for the treatment of some ailments.

Composition and Types

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) is a chelating agent that can bind heavy metal ions. EDTA is white crystalline or powderlike and has 25 forms including ammonium, calcium, copper, iron, potassium, manganese, sodium and zinc salts. Since EDTA binds to trace metals, if ingested it can cause a deficiency in minerals the body needs to function properly. The chemical is a mild skin irritant and severe eye irritant.

Pesticides

EDTA is used in pesticides and must not exceed 1 percent of a product if used around the home and 5 percent for an agricultural product. For example, sodium ferric EDTA is used in slug and snail pesticides around crops, home gardens and on golf courses.

Cosmetics and Personal Care

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a type of EDTA was used in 4,000 cosmetic formulas including bubble bath, face lotion and makeup; hair products including shampoo and hair color; bath soap and deodorant. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Library of Medicine provides on its website a list of household products that contain different forms of EDTA. A list of EDTA-containing products yielded a large number of hair products.

Pharmaceuticals

Calcium disodium EDTA is used as a sequestering agent in the making of pharmaceuticals. The chemical is also used in blood anticoagulants. The World Health Organization set the allowed daily intake of calcium disodium EDTA at 2.5 mg/kg in 1974. Trisodium EDTA is utilized in the reduction of blood cholesterol and in the treatment of lead poisoning and calcinosis, or the forming of calcium deposits in soft tissue. The Food and Drug Administration has allowed the use of EDTA to treat heavy metal poisoning. A patient is given a large dose of EDTA to leach out heavy metal deposits from the body.

Food Industry

Food manufacturers may use calcium disodium EDTA and disodium EDTA to maintain the color, texture and flavor of food products as well as to delay mineral formation. The use of EDTA must directly impact the quality of the food and its implementation must follow the same guidelines as other ingredients. Disodium EDTA may be used to stabilize vitamin B12. EDTA is also used in surface sanitizers in the food industry.

Textiles

Trisodium EDTA is used in the treatment of textiles to improve dyeing, scouring and detergent phases of production.

References

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• EDTA in Household Products
• EDTA Chelation Therapy
• EDTA History