In the early years of the 20th Century, a wealthy Pittsburgh businessman died of radium poisoning. His death was the direct result of drinking a medicinal tonic known as Radithor. Mr. Eben Buyers was found to have 73.66 micrograms of radium in his body, and attending doctors reported that “even the air he exhaled was radioactive.”

An autopsy showed that the cause of death was “radiation poisoning.” From drinking water. Radioactive water.

The full account of this story can be found in the 1936 book, American Chamber of Horrors; The Truth About Food and Drugs by Ruth deForest Lamb. It’s a great read and an interesting book.

In the early 1900s, government officials did not have the legislative authority to remove Radithor from the market because existing laws did not empower officials to seize “dangerous drugs, unless their labels misrepresented them” [ibid, p. 74).

In other words, Mr. Eben Buyers knew he was drinking radioactive water. However, he probably didn’t know what he was doing to his body. The first two weeks, he found that (as promised), he felt better than he had in years. But that happy result did not last very long. When he was hospitalized, the first thing they did to poor Mr. Buyers was to order x-rays.

An expert was summoned to examine the x-rays. Dr. Flinn, Ms. Lamb states, had been involved in the radium watch-dial cases. Ever hear about that? I hadn’t, until I read this book. Seems that a few women workers were poisoned as they toiled away, painting radium (yes, real radium) on watch-dial faces. The luminous paint, the employer promised was “harmless,” and many of the so-called “Radium Girls” even applied the paint to their fingernails.

Mr. Buyers and Mrs. Brown (Lash Lure Lady) were two of thousands of reasons that facilitated the creation of the FDA. And upon the creation of the FDA, the first product they seized was Lash Lure. But today the FDA has become highly politicized and one of the products that needs to be examined and eliminated is Aspartame. Originally developed as ant poison, it is a neurotoxin and has been linked to a wide-range of health problems.

More than 75% of the complaints received by the FDA are centered around aspartame. Think about that fact for a moment. Of all the food and drug products offered in this country, more than 75% of the complaints received at the FDA are related to aspartame. The FDA saved us from toxic drinks such as Radithor and now it needs to step up to the plate, abandon politics and take a serious look at aspartame.

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