What is the RDA of ant poison?

I learned a new word yesterday. Azodicarbonamide*.
Let's start from the beginning and sound it out, Azo-di-carbon-amide.

Azocarbonamide is banned in the UK and Australia, in Singapore you can get 15 years in prison and a fine of $450,000†. EU classification: harmful.

According to chemindustry.ru, "Generally azodicarbonamide is prepared in industry by condensation of hydrazine sulfate with urea under high temperature and pressure. This reaction results in hydrazoformamide which is oxidized with sodium hypochlorite and centrifuged to yield a slurry containing end product. The slurry is washed to remove impurities and dried to obtain the azodicarbonamide powder." Urea** is food now?

Azodicarbonimide is a foaming agent used in plastic blow-molding and according to mbm.net.au†, "Flour treatment and bleaching agent in baked goods, breads, rice, chewing gum, flour, grains. The US FDA require further testing. Banned in Australia. Avoid it." (I added spaces to most of the mbm.net.au quotes, so it's not a strictly verbatim.) From the NOAA.gov website, "Reacts with hot water to give nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and ammonia." Thanks to its nitrogen-ammonia pedigree, it's used as a component in explosives•••.

Some recognizable names are Panera bagels, Wal-Mart Bakery (where my brother spotted it and got me interested) breads and Subway sandwiches. The last one irritates the heck out of me, I love Subway. Ironically, I also found it listed in the ingredients for Nature's Own, 100% Whole Wheat (bread).

It brings on asthma if ingested or inhaled. It's one of the few things that can kill the AIDs virus, if used correctly††, if not, it could kill you. The safety warnings tell workers not to inhale it, get it in their eyes or touch it with their skin, if they do, they're supposed to wash vigorously.

Some other favorites from the mbm.net.au list are:
Shellac, used as a glazing agent, chocolate, confectionary, in "orange fizzy drinks," orange skin(s), medications... Derived from the (East) Indian Lac insect. "Vegans generally avoid the product as there are still lice in the raw product..." In the first cleaning process, after the second, I suppose it's reduced to "trace protein."

Montanic acidesters - A wax obtained by solvent extraction of lignite (brown coal), used as a coating for citrus fruits. So discard that orange peel or lemon rind, don't use it for flavoring. Irony of timing, I was eating an orange last night when my Dad started reading this list.

Cystein monohydrochloride and L-cysteine hydrochloridemonohydrate are flour treatment agents derived from animal hair, chicken feathers, and if from China, human hair. A known neurotoxin.

Potassium bromate - "Large quantities can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, kidney damage and failure. The WHO in 1993 said that this ingredient is no longer acceptable for use as it is a possible carcinogen. Typically used in flour products."

Aspartame - "an artificial sweetener found in most diet soft drinks, diet foods, etc. originally developed as ant poison. 92 known side effects including migraine headaches, allergy and brain tumors."

Sacchrine - An artificial sweetener derived from toluene (a known carcinogen). You've heard of its cousin, tri-nitro-toluene or TNT. Interferes with normal blood coagulation (scabbing over), blood sugar levels and digestive function. Was once banned in the US in 1977 but is now back with a warning label. Banned in France, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Spain, Malaysia, Zimbabwe, Fiji, Israel, Peru and Taiwan, depending on the usage. Upon reading this, my Dad informed me that toluene is classically the harmful/solvent/narcotic ingredient in modeling glue.

Sucralose aka trichlorogalactosucrose - You'll find it branded under the name, "Splenda." "In animal test before being accepted in Australia, they showed detrimental effects to the thalamus glands, liver and kidney enlargement, and renal mineralisation."

Renal mineralization (U.S.A. spelling), otherwise known as kidney stones. I think I'll just use honey.

Triethylacetate or citrate - Commercially produced from citric acid. Used in whipping cream, as a thickener, vegetable gum for flavoring and sports drinks and in (packaged) egg white liquid or dried. "Part becomes alcohol in the body."

The rather important list goes on and covers a variety of chemical additives found in processed foods.
Maybe it's time we scrutinized food additives with the same careful lens that herbs are receiving. I mean, how many of these everyday additives have "adverse effects" (see: bullets, snakebites and high voltage power lines) when used alone, much less when combined with common medications? Do these additives cause the rash of allergies (esp. wheat) that we've been seeing?

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azodicarbonamide

† http://www.mbm.net.au/health/900-1520.htm

†† http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov/MeetingAbstracts/ma?f=102223560.html

** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urea

††† http://cameochemicals.noaa.gov/chemical/19157

The fact that this stuff (Azodicarbonamide) has its own explosives profile should tell you something.
***http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADD019191

One gram of azodicarbonamide being decomposed releases about 230 mL of gaseous products.
http://chemindustry.ru/Azodicarbonamide.php

The famous 599 ingredients found in cigarettes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_additives_in_cigarettes

The quotes are for review purposes only but the opinion? Get your own. Read the information in context for yourself. It's important to be an educated consumer and know what you're eating. It's those little compromises that'll come back us in ways we never expected.