epson salts - suggestions on what to look for re quality etc - may be helpful - from Aust biomed forum

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Hi there

I posted an introductory email a while ago

on this grp – I live in Syd but am from Ireland.  I have been doing some

research into Epson salts myself here, as I am taking my two kids to Ireland in

June and needed to source E.salts while there, which I have now been able to.

Thought some of you might be interested in

the following info re E.salts quality – this was posted by our moderator

on the Syd forum, with the opening message from our compounding pharmacist.  Some

of the info be of help or interest to you -  if not pls delete.

For those of you in Eire, my compounding

pharmacist here, who incidentally happens to be from Limerick originally,

suggested I contact any of the Pharmacy wholesalers in Ireland - Uniphar, United Drug, or

Cahill May and they may be able to help with a BP or USP grade supply. 

Well, have now tracked down some successfully via Cahill May but has to

be ordered through local pharmacy – 4Kg bags at approx. €12 / 25kg

bags can also be sourced but costing €66.  Saves me having to go through justasoap

in the UK.

Am attaching the other info re Epson salts

quality below.

Cheers

Gladys

Always get

the Certificate of Analysis from any supplier of bulk materials. If it’s

USP or BP grade make sure the manufacturer is GMP (good manufacturing Practice)

approved internationally. Less than 10 ppb (parts per Billion) heavy metals is

as good as can be guaranteed although it may be less. I would contact the

suppliers and give them the batch no. and expiry and ask them is it safe for

human consumption and to e-mail the C of A for that batch. At anytime please

call me with any of your bulk packs of whatever you get and I will find out if

it is safe for human use.

This message

was posted on the biomed autist forum in Australia

by our wonderful compounding pharmacist in Sydney

The salts from Austral Chem were BP grade {British

Pharmaceutical]. USP is the American equivalent. Heptahydrate refers to the

molecules of water per magnesium sulphate molecules… in this case 7,

which is basically the norm. AustralChem supplied all of Fauldings. They were a

manufactured salt. Fauldings still have supplies from Austral Chem. You will

probably find in another year or so fauldings will look different as I believe

there are 2 companies who import them who will be supplying Fauldings.   So it

would seem they from Giles are Ok

BioMed parents have always advocated the purchase of Epson

Salts from AustralChem an all Australian Company who were TGA certified ..

meaning they had to test every batch of Epson Salts produced and provide a

Certificate showing the level of any impurities.

They also tested other ES on the market in this country and

found those imported from a German Company to be OK but not as good as their

own brand.  The E Salts sold by the company

" New Directions " are from China and are not marked on the bag as

being a BP Grade ... (New Directions apparently placed a sticker on their bags denoting a BP Grade)

... there was no Batch No and no way to verify the authenticity of their claim!

Moral: don't believe

everything you read .. (or are told) .. do your own homework !

To qualify as BP (pharmaceutical)

grade each batch must be tested and have it's levels of impurities under

a particular level. AustralChems levels were way below the standard required.

For example their mercury levels are 200 times lower than the required

level.   Their level is 0.0001ppm. Epsom Salts

are made from Magnesite (Magnesium Carbonate) and Sulphuric Acid. The magnesite

mined from the ground will never be 100% free from impurities.  AustralChem sourced

their magnesite from Young in NSW. Their Sulphuric Acid came from Tasmania or Port Kembla.

Never buy " Agricultural Grade Epson

Salts " .. they are often contaminated with heavy metals.. The Epson Salts

found in most supermarkets and marketed as " Fauldings " were manufactured

by AustralChem but re-packed and marketed by Fauldings and were OK

Two years ago 2 children were impregnated with toxic

chemicals when their parents bought batches of Epson Salts from an Agricultural

Centre ... one child regressed very badly and it was only after using a full

25kg that his mother folded the bag and discovered a list of toxic additives on

the base ... the other child became very sick and his parents investigating

every possible link discovered the additives earlier ... (neither child was

from BioMed).

Unfortunately AustralChem closed it's doors just before

Christmas and Karl from Kingsway Compounding is searching for a replacement ...

one that meets the same criteria and safe standards as AustralChem held.  The

average Australian would have no idea of how to interpret the quality of Epson

Salts .. we trust others who do have specialized knowledge to research a product

and tell us it is the safest we can buy on the market .. which is why we all

bought Austral Chem Epson Salts and are now expressing concerns and " caution "

about other unqualified brands!!

The price varies enormously .. in Sydney and Qld a 25 kg bag

was available for $40 .. the same bag in SA was $80 (an outrageous price) ...

China now has the world market for producing Epson Salts and we therefore need

to be very cautious of what we immerse our kids in from now on!!!

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