| MadSci Network: Medicine |
Hello,
Thank you for your question. Yes, adding methylene blue to food is
dangerous. It is dangerous for two reasons.
The first reason is direct. Methylene blue is a biologically active
substance. In medicine it is used to treat, among other things,
methemoglobinemia. (More information on the causes of this disease
including it's causes and treatments with methylene blue can be found on Heat
hAnswers, an on-line magazine.) If methylene blue is administered
inappropriately it can lead to a variety of health problems, principally
among the very young. The following citations are links to abstracts of
scientific papers detailing some of the possible complications of
over-treatment with methylene blue:
J Pharmacol Exp Ther 1999 May;289(2):820-4 (Inhibition
and stimulation of long-chain fatty acid oxidation by chloroacetaldehyde
and methylene
blue in rats)
Haemostasis 1998 Jan-Feb;28(1):17-24 (High doses of
methylene blue/light treatment crosslink the A-alpha-subunit of fibrinogen:
influence of this photooxidization on fibrinogen binding to platelets)
Pediatrics 1996 May;97(5):717-21 (Methylene
blue-induced phototoxicity: an unrecognized complication)
Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 1996 Mar;40(3):382-4 (Pulmonary
edema following intrauterine methylene blue injection)
Laryngol Rhinol Otol (Stuttg) 1986
Dec;65(12):699-701(Severe complications following the intrathecal
administration of a methylene blue solution)
Far more serious is an indirect risk. Adding chemicals to food for pranks
invites mistakes. Even when a chemical is known to be benign, there is a
risk that it is kept in a solution that is toxic. A chemical and solution
that is safe for most people may cause a severe reaction in a few people.
It is because of these and other considerations that the Food and Drug
Administration issues rules about what may and what may not be added to
food. (If you have further questions about the appropriate uses of
methylene blue in food, the FDA can be
contacted through their web site.)
One final note: pranks and practical jokes tend to be played back and forth
between people, with each new prank bigger (and more dangerous) than the
last. Be very careful in initiating or continuing a trading of these.
Thank you for writing to MadSci Network,
John Carlson
Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Medicine.