Toothpastes contain cancer causing nicotine, finds study

Beware! Your favourite toothpaste could be laced with cancer-causing nicotine.

A study by the Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research (DIPSAR) has found that many of the toothpaste manufacturers are adulterating toothpastes and toothpowders with high quantity of nicotine.

"Out of the 24 brands of toothpastes studied in 2011, seven brands - Colgate Herbal, Himalaya, Neem paste, Neem Tulsi, RA Thermoseal, Sensoform and Stoline - were found to contain nicotine," said Professor S. S. Agarwal of DIPSAR, which is affiliated to the Delhi University and is funded by the Delhi government.

"Colgate Herbal and Neem Tulsi, also a herbal product, surprisingly had 18 and 10 mg of nicotine, which is equivalent to the quantity found in nine and five cigarettes respectively," Prof Agarwal added.

"Out of the ten brands of toothpowders examined, six - Dabur Red, Vicco, Musaka Gul, Payokil, Unadent and Alka Dantmanjan - were found to contain nicotine. Payokil was found to have the highest 16 mg of tobacco, which is equivalent of what a person consumes after smoking eight cigarettes," he said.

"Vicco was found to have used tobacco consecutively for three years in its toothpowder, while Dabur Red resumed mixing tobacco in 2011 after stopping it in 2008,"Prof Agarwal said.

The findings were, however, strongly refuted by the manufacturers of some of the dental creams and toothpowders named by DIPSAR. According to the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, tobacco cannot be added to non-tobacco products like toothpastes and toothpowders.

Section 7(5) of the Act lays down that every tobacco package should have nicotine and tar contents along with the maximum permissible limits, which is not being done by these toothpaste manufacturers.

Moreover, as nicotine and tar are carcinogens, the manufacturers should mention them among contents along with their permissible limits on the packages to help people make an informed choice.

This warning is printed on colgate cover only in US.

                                                                                                                                                                       Prof Agarwal said that he has now written to the Union ministry of health and family welfare, drug controller-general of India and Delhi drug controller about the rampant tobacco adulteration in toothpowders and toothpastes. " Addition of tobacco is banned under central excise but it is still being added; do they forward it to the drug controller-general of India? Nicotine action is believed to be responsible for the drug induced feeling of pleasure and addiction, said Prof Agarwal.

Denying the presence of nicotine in his products, Sanjeev Pendharkar, Director, Vicco Laboratories said that the DIPSAR report was brought to their notice earlier as well. "The matter was also investigated by officers of the Drugs Control Administration, Goa. They did not find anything adverse and the samples drawn by them also did not show presence of nicotine," he asserted.

"We tested samples of Vicco Vajradanti paste and powder and the raw materials used in them. We found that both finished products and raw materials did not show presence of nicotine. The findings of DIPSAR are totally wrong. It has not disclosed the source of sampling. Our products do not contain any nicotine or fluoride," Pendharkar iterated.

He demanded tests in a government-approved laboratory and "our in-house laboratory," to substantiate his claim.

Refuting the findings of DIPSAR, a corporate official of the Himalaya Drug Company said, "We do not add nicotine to our toothpaste. Tests conducted have proved that our product is absolutely nicotine-free. The product was analysed for the presence of nicotine using highly sensitive Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) technique.

The results showed that nicotine was not detected. In polyherbals, many phytochemicals are present which can best be estimated by LCMS, hence we follow this sophisticated procedure."Asked for comments, a Dabur India spokesman said, "We would not be able to comment unless we see the study and the methodology used."  Prof Agarwal stood by his findings. He said these companies "are lying just to safeguard their interests." He said he is ready to provide the companies with details of the methodology used.

"Nicotine in toothpastes can have the same ill effects as that in tobacco products like cigarettes and paan products. The nicotine is absorbed by the tongue and saliva in the mouth. It can lead to staining of teeth too and damage the whole enamel," warned Dr Rakesh Malhotra, senior dental surgeon, Centre for Advanced Dentistry. Toothpaste that contains nicotine can be as addictive as other nicotine products, he added. Nicotine can be absorbed by the lips, tongue, the floor of the mouth, the top roof of the mouth, cheeks and the gums leading to problems like oral inflammation and cancer.

"Oral ingestion of nicotine can lead to oral cancer and cancer causing agents can also get into the lining of the stomach, esophagus and into the bladder," Dr Malhotra said. Other side- effects of nicotine consumption include drooling. Children are particularly impacted by this, and may even report a burning sensation in the mouth.

According to Dr R C Jiloha of the psychiatry department, G. B. Pant Hospital, "Nicotine is distributed throughout the body, mostly to skeletal muscles and binds to the receptors in the brain, where it influences the cerebral metabolism."

Health hazards

It can also be absorbed by the lips, tongue, floor of the mouth, top roof of the mouth, cheeks and gums leading to problems such as oral inflammation and cancer. "Oral ingestion of nicotine can lead to oral cancer and cancer causing agents can also get into the lining of the stomach, esophagus and the bladder," he added.

"Toothpastes containing nicotine can have the same ill effects hitherto attributed to tobacco products such as cigarettes and paan masala . The nicotine in the toothpaste is absorbed by the tongue and saliva in the mouth. It can lead to staining of teeth too and damage the whole enamel," Dr Rakesh Malhotra, senior dental surgeon, said.

India to lay 14 strategic railway lines near China, Pak border

As part of preparations to meet challenges from China and Pakistan, India is planning to lay 14 strategic railway lines close to borders with these two countries to help in easier and faster movement of troops.

The railway lines are besides 73 roads being constructed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, sources said here Sunday.

Out of the 14 planned railway lines, survey has been completed for 12, they said.

The railway lines have been planned in Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan.

Of the 73 roads with a total length of 3812 km, laying of 61 roads covering 3,404 km have been assigned to Border Roads Organisation (BRO), the sources said.

27 of the 61 roads are being constructed in Arunachal Pradesh, 12 in Jammu and Kashmir, 14 in Uttarakhand, five in Himachal Pradesh and three in Sikkim.

17 roads have been completed, they said.

Out of 73 roads, 12 are being constructed by Central Public Works Department (CPWD) for ITBP, they said.

The infrastructure development is being carried out as China has made strides in this regard and India is lagging much behind.

Defence Minister A K Antony conceded in Parliament last month that China is “superior” in terms of border infrastructure as India was late in deciding on building roads and other capabilities near the LAC because of the impact of the 1962 war.

He had described it as a “collective failure” of all the successive governments.

Attitudes changing: Muslims opening up to Modi

There was a time, not very long ago, when Muslims feared backlash from various quarters if they showed any kind of inclination towards Narendra Modi. Take the example of Sufi Mehboob Ali Chishti – he was issued fatwas from several organizations when he took charge of the Gujarat BJP Minority Cell. Samajwadi Party boycotted Shahid Siddiqui after he conducted an interview with Modi for his Urdu weekly. Incidents like these and more resulted in a heavily skewed public discourse where people, especially Muslims hesitated to speak out in favour of Modi.

On the other side, ground reports and election results painted a different story. BJP managed to win several seats in Muslim dominated constituencies in Gujarat, including the municipality of Salaya where 90 percent of the population is Muslim. Some reports suggest that 20-25% percent Muslims voted for Modi in the December 2012 assembly polls.

The contrast here suggests that while Muslims were uncomfortable in openly supporting Modi and BJP, they were more willing to do so in a secret ballot.

Slowly as numbers have begun to build up, BJP’s minority outreach program has started to gather some steam and Modi’s message of ‘India First’ has gained traction, Muslim leaders are becoming more comfortable with the idea of speaking in favour of Modi. The latest case in point is that of Maulana Kalbe Sadiq, one of India’s tallest Shia clerics and the Vice President of All India Muslim Personal Law Board. He said, “I am not the custodian of all Muslims. But if I see that Modi is making changes then I will back him. I can’t say this for all Muslims, but I will personally back him. What he did was wrong, but if he is willing to change then we are also willing to change.”

When asked if Modi should apologize he said, “It’s childish to demand an apology. He should display in his character and through his actions that he cares for Muslims.”

Interestingly his remarks come on a day when Muslim clerics have criticized Rahul Gandhi for claiming that relatives of Muslims killed in Muzaffarnagar riots are vulnerable to advances being made by Pakistani intelligence agencies. They called the statements as ‘most unfortunate’. Maulana Saif Abbas Naqvi, a prominent Shia cleric, said such statements painted the Muslim community in bad light and were a “grave insinuation” on millions of peace loving and patriotic Muslims in the country. The attitudes, thus, are not just shifting towards Modi but also away from the Congress.

A few months ago in a TV interview the general secretary of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, Maulana Mahmood Madni said that he does sense that attitude of Muslims towards Modi is changing. One can also observe political parties, which rely strongly on the minority vote share, shifting their attitudes towards Modi. For example, YSR Congress chief Jagan Reddy recently asked Modi to make BJP more secular. TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu shared stage with Modi this month where he praised the development in Gujarat. NCP leader and UPA ally Sharad Pawar recently remarked that nobody is untouchable in politics.

It remains to be seen if this change in attitude translates to votes and allies or fades out with time. While Modi may have come a long way, he still has a long way to go.

It's OK if minorities don't repay loans, Karnataka Congress chief G Parameshwara says

In the race to appease the minorities in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections next year, KPCC president G Parameshwara suggested it's all right for them to cheat by not repaying loans taken from government agencies.

At a Congress workshop for here on schemes for minorities, Parameshwara said several people who had taken loans had cheated the government by not repaying them. "The Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation, instead of giving small loans, should sanction huge amounts like Rs 50 lakh. Never mind if the beneficiaries don't repay the loans. Topi hakidre parvagilla (colloquial for 'no issues if they cheat'). Many people and officials have duped government agencies of several thousands of crores of rupees. It's part of the development process," he said.

A Forgotten Martyr : SHIVRAM HARI RAJGURU

शिवराम हरि राजगुरु (जन्म- 24 अगस्त, 1908, पुणे, महाराष्ट्र; शहादत- 23 मार्च, 1931, लाहौर) भारत के प्रसिद्ध वीर स्वतंत्रता सेनानी थे। येसरदार भगत सिंह और सुखदेव के घनिष्ठ मित्र थे। इस मित्रता को राजगुरु ने मृत्यु पर्यंत निभाया। देश की आजादी के लिए दी गई राजगुरु की शहादत ने इनका नाम भारतीय इतिहास में स्वर्ण अक्षरों में अंकित करवा दिया। राजगुरु, भगत सिंह और सुखदेव की शहादत आज भी भारत के युवकों को प्रेरणा प्रदान करती है।

जन्म

वीर स्वतंत्रता सेनानी सुखदेव का जन्म 24 अगस्त, 1908 को पुणे (महाराष्ट्र) के खेड़ा नामक गाँव में हुआ था। इनके पिता का नाम श्री हरि नारायण और माता का नाम पार्वती बाई था। राजगुरु के पिता का निधन इनके बाल्यकाल में ही हो गया था। इनका पालन-पोषण इनकी माता और बड़े भैया ने किया। राजगुरु बचपन से ही बड़े वीर, साहसी और मस्तमौला थे। भारत माँ से प्रेम तो बचपन से ही था। इस कारण अंग्रेज़ों से घृणा तो स्वाभाविक ही थी। ये बचपन से ही वीर शिवाजी और लोकमान्य तिलक के बहुत बड़े भक्त थे। संकट मोल लेने में भी इनका कोई जवाब नहीं था। किन्तु ये कभी-कभी लापरवाही कर जाते थे। राजगुरु का पढ़ाई में मन नहीं लगता था, इसलिए इनको अपने बड़े भैया और भाभी का तिरस्कार सहना पड़ता था। माँ बेचारी कुछ बोल न पातीं।

चंद्रशेखर आज़ाद से भेंट

जब राजगुरु तिरस्कार सहते-सहते तंग आ गए, तब वे अपने स्वाभिमान को बचाने के लिए घर छोड़ कर चले गए। फिर सोचा की अब जबकि घर के बंधनों से स्वाधीन हूँ तो भारत माता की बेड़ियाँ काटने में अब कोई दुविधा नहीं है। वे कई दिनों तक भिन्न-भिन्न क्रांतिकारियों से भेंट करते रहे। अंत में उनकी क्रांति की नौका को चंद्रशेखर आज़ाद ने पार लगाया। राजगुरु 'हिंदुस्तान सामाजवादी प्रजातान्त्रिक संघ' के सदस्य बन गए। चंद्रशेखर आज़ाद इस जोशीले नवयुवक से बहुत प्रभावित हुए और बड़े चाव से इन्हें निशानेबाजी की शिक्षा देने लगे। शीघ्र ही राजगुरु आज़ाद जैसे एक कुशल निशानेबाज बन गए। कभी-कभी चंद्रशेखर आज़ाद इनको लापरवाही करने पर डांट देते, किन्तु यह सदा आज़ाद को बड़ा भाई समझ कर बुरा न मानते। राजगुरु का निशाना कभी चूकता नहीं था। बाद में दल में इनकी भेंट भगत सिंह और सुखदेव से हुई। राजगुरु इन दोनों से बड़े प्रभावित हुए।

सेंडर्स हत्या

भगत सिंह और सुखदेव, ये दोनों राजगुरु को अपना सबसे अच्छा साथी मानते थे। दल ने लाला लाजपत राय की मृत्यु के जिम्मेदार अंग्रेज़ अफ़सर स्कॉट का वध करने की योजना बनायीं। इस काम के लिए राजगुरु और भगत सिंह को चुना गया। राजगुरु तो अंग्रेजों को सबक सिखाने का अवसर ढूँढ़ते ही रहते थे, अब वह सुअवसर उन्हें मिल गया था। 19 दिसंबर, 1928 को राजगुरु, भगत सिंह और चंद्रशेखर आज़ाद ने सुखदेव के कुशल मार्गदर्शन के फलस्वरूप जे. पी. सांडर्स नाम के एक अन्य अंग्रेज़ अफ़सर, जिसने स्कॉट के कहने पर लाला लाजपत राय पर लाठियाँ चलायी थीं, का वध कर दिया। कार्यवाही के पश्चात भगत सिंह अंग्रेज़ी साहब बनकर, राजगुरु उनके सेवक बनकर और चंद्रशेखर आज़ाद सुरक्षित पुलिस की दृष्टि से बचकर निकल गए।

^{गिरफ्तारई}

भगत सिंह और बटुकेश्वर दत्त के असेम्बली में बम फोड़ने और स्वयं को गिरफ्तार करवाने के पश्चात चंद्रशेखर आज़ाद को छोड़कर सुखदेव सहित दल के सभी सदस्य गिरफ्तार कर लिए गए, केवल राजगुरु ही इससे बचे रहे। आज़ाद के कहने पर पुलिस से बचने के लिए राजगुरु कुछ दिनों के लिए महाराष्ट्र चले गए, किन्तु लापरवाही के कारण राजगुरु भी छुटपुट संघर्ष के बाद पकड़ लिए गए। अंग्रेज़ों ने चंद्रशेखर आज़ाद का पता जानने के लिए राजगुरु पर अनेकों अमानवीय अत्त्याचार किये, किन्तु वीर राजगुरु विचलित नहीं हुए। पुलिस ने राजगुरु को अपने सभी साथियों के साथ लाकर लाहौर की जेल में बंद कर दिया। सभी साथी मस्तमौला वीर मराठा राजगुरु को पाकर बड़े खुश थे।

मुकदमा

लाहौर में सभी क्रांतिकारियों पर सांडर्स हत्याकाण्ड का मुकदमा चल रहा था। मुक़दमे को क्रांतिकारियों ने अपनी फाकामस्ती से बड़ा लम्बा खींचा। सभी जानते थे की अदालत एक ढोंग है। उनका फैसला तो अंग्रेज़ हुकूमत ने पहले ही कर दिया था। राजगुरु, भगत सिंह और सुखदेव जानते थे की उनकी मृत्यु का फरमान तो पहले ही लिखा जा चूका है तो क्यों न अपनी मस्तियों से अदालत में अंग्रेज़ जज को धुल चटाई जाए। एक बार राजगुरु ने अदालत में अंग्रेज़ जज को संस्कृत में ललकारा। जज चौंक गया उसने कहा- "टूम क्या कहता हाय"। राजगुरु ने भगत सिंह की तरफ हंस कर कहा कि- "यार भगत इसको अंग्रेज़ी में समझाओ। यह जाहिल हमारी भाषा क्या समझेंगे"। सभी क्रांतिकारी ठहाका मारकर हसने लगे। अदालत में इन क्रांतिकारियों ने स्वीकार किया था कि वे पंजाब में आज़ादी की लड़ाई के एक बड़े नायक लाला लाजपत राय की मौत का बदला लेना चाहते थे। अंग्रेज़ों के विरुद्ध एक प्रदर्शन में पुलिस की बर्बर पिटाई से लाला लाजपत राय की मृत्यु हो गई थी।

^अनशन

जेल में भगत सिंह के नेतृत्व में क्रांतिकारियों ने कैदियों के साथ होने वाले अमानवीय अत्त्याचारों के विरुद्ध आमरण अनशन आरंभ कर दिया, जिसको जनता का जबरदस्त समर्थन मिला, जो पहले से ही क्रांतिकारियों के प्रति श्रद्धा का भाव रखती थी, विशेष रूप से भगत सिंह के प्रति। इस आमरण अनशन से वायसराय की कुर्सी तक हिल गयी। अंग्रेज़ों ने क्रांतिकारियों की हड़ताल तुडवाने का जबरदस्त प्रयत्न किया, किन्तु क्रांतिकारियों की जिद के सामने वे हार गए। राजगुरु और जतिनदास की इस अनशन में हालत बिगड़ गयी। राजगुरु और सुखदेव से अंग्रेज़ विशेष रूप से हार गए थे। जतिनदास आमरण अनशन के कारण शहीद हो गए, जिससे जनता भड़क उठी। विवश हो कर अंग्रेज़ों को क्रांतिकारियों की सभी बातें मनानी पड़ीं। यह क्रांतिकारियों की विजय थी। उधर सांडर्स हत्याकाण्ड मुक़दमे का परिणाम निकल आया। सांडर्स के वध के अपराध में राजगुरु, सुखदेव और भगत सिंह को मृत्युदंड मिला। तीनों इस मृत्युदंड को सुन कर आनंद से पागल हो गए और जोर-जोर से 'इन्कलाब जिंदाबाद' की गर्जाना की।

शहादत

राजगुरु को 23 मार्च, 1931 की शाम सात बजे लाहौर के केंद्रीय कारागार में उनके दोस्तों भगत सिंह और सुखदेव के साथ फ़ाँसी पर लटका दिया गया। इतिहासकार बताते हैं कि फाँसी को लेकर जनता में बढ़ते रोष को ध्यान में रखते हुए अंग्रेज़ अधिकारियों ने तीनों क्रांतिकारियों के शवों का अंतिम संस्कार फ़िरोज़पुर ज़िले के हुसैनीवाला में कर दिया था। यह भी माना जाता है कि इन तीनों क्रांतिकारियों की फाँसी की तिथि 24 मार्च निर्धारित थी, लेकिन अंग्रेज़ सरकार फाँसी के बाद उत्पन्न होने वाली स्थितियों से घबरा रही थी। इसीलिए उसने एक दिन पहले ही फाँसी दे दी।

सम्मान

राजगुरु के जन्म शती के अवसर पर भारत सरकार के प्रकाशन विभाग ने उन पर संभवत पहली बार कोई पुस्तक प्रकाशित की। इस सराहनीय प्रयास के लिए न केवल प्रकाशन विभाग धन्यवाद का पात्र है बल्कि उस लेखक को भी कोटि कोटि बधाई है, जिसने इस क्रन्तिकारी की जीवन लीला से सभी को परिचय कराया है। पुणे का वह खेड़ा गाँव जहाँ राजगुरु का जन्म हुआ था, उसे अब 'राजगुरु नगर' के नाम से जाना जाता है।