CONSULTANTS IN TOXICOLOGY
Welcome to Consultox, Limited, a toxicology consulting firm established in 1985. Dr. Richard A. Parent, Principal and Consulting Toxicologist, is a doubly Board Certified Toxicologist with a firm foundation in chemistry and over 30 years of practice in the field of Toxicology. Consultox is a full service toxicology consulting firm providing support to litigants as an Expert Witness in Toxicology and to industry as an Independent Toxicology Consultant for projects involving product safety, drug impurities, risk assessment, and various agency product registration processes.
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DR. RICHARD PARENT
Richard A. Parent, PhD, DABT, FATS, RAC, ERT, is certified by the American Board of Toxicology and the Academy of Toxicological Sciences as well as the Regulatory Affairs Certification Board. He is a recognized Expert in Toxicology in France and the European Community. Dr. Parent has over 35 years of experience in Toxicology and Chemistry and has directed two toxicology laboratories, the combination of such affords him insights that go far beyond his fields of dual expertise. Read More
THE QUARTER NOTE
Ranitidine, sold under the name of Zantac, is a medication that decreases stomach acid
production. Zantac has recently been found to contain nitroso-dimethylamine (NDMA),
a well-known carcinogen. The fact that NDMA causes cancer has been known since the
1950s, and its presence in Zantac is alarming. Nitrosamines in general were thought to
increase the risk of cancer based on several animal studies. Early on, the International
Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified nitrosamines as probable human
carcinogens, as has the EPA. NDMA is found at low concentrations in some foods such
as cured meats, tobacco, and in some household products. The US FDA has suggested
a limited daily exposure to NDMA of 96 nanograms (a nanogram is one billionth of a
gram). One study reported an NDMA content in Zantac in excess of 2 million
nanograms per tablet, while another study using simulated stomach acid containing
Zantac reported an NDMA content of 300,000 nanograms per Zantac tablet which is still
3000 times the FDA's recommended daily intake limit.
There is some evidence that the active ingredient in Zantac, ranitidine, imported from
India and China, included NDMA as a contaminant. There are still other reports that
ranitidine, the major component of Zantac, may breakdown forming NDMA on its own.
One study reported a significant concentration of NDMA in urine after ingesting
ranitidine. Both sources of NDMA may be appropriate to consider, but its presence in
such high levels in Zantac tablets puts the users of this medication at high risk of
developing cancer.
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