Hygiene Tribune U.S. Edition

Hygiene Tribune U.S. Edition | February 2015B2 FROM PAGE ONE ◊ IODINE, page B1 Tell us what you think! Do you have general comments or criticism you would like to share? Is there a particular topic you would like to see articles about in Hygiene Tribune? Let us know by emailing feedback@dental-tribune.com. We look forward to hearing from you! If you would like to make any change to your subscription (name, address or to opt out) please send us an email at c.maragh@dental- tribune.com and be sure to include which publication you are referring to. Also, please note that subscription changes can take up to six weeks to process. HYGIENE TRIBUNE Publisher & Chairman Torsten Oemus t.oemus@dental-tribune.com President & Chief Executive Officer Eric Seid e.seid@dental-tribune.com Group Editor Kristine Colker k.colker@dental-tribune.com Editor in Chief Dental Tribune Dr. David L. Hoexter feedback@dental-tribune.com Editor in Chief Hygiene Tribune Patricia Walsh, RDH feedback@dental-tribune.com Managing Editor Robert Selleck r.selleck@dental-tribune.com Managing Editor Fred Michmershuizen f.michmershuizen@dental-tribune.com Managing Editor Sierra Rendon s.rendon@dental-tribune.com Product/Account Manager Humberto Estrada h.estrada@dental-tribune.com Product/Account Manager Will Kenyon w.kenyon@dental-tribune.com Product/Account Manager Maria Kaiser m.kaiser@dental-tribune.com Marketing Director Anna Kataoka-Wlodarczyk a.wlodarczyk@dental-tribune.com EDUCATION Director Christiane Ferret c.ferret@dtstudyclub.com Accounting Coordinator Nirmala Singh n.singh@dental-tribune.com Tribune America, LLC 116 West 23rd Street, Suite 500 New York, NY 10011 Phone (212) 244-7181 Published by Tribune America © 2015 Tribune America, LLC All rights reserved. Tribune America strives to maintain the utmost ac- curacy in its news and clinical reports. If you find a factual error or content that requires clarification, please contact Managing Editor Robert Selleck at r.selleck@dental-tribune.com. Tribune America cannot assume responsibility for the validity of product claims or for typographical errors. The publisher also does not assume respon- sibility for product names or statements made by advertisers. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and may not reflect those of Tribune America. Editorial Board Dr. Joel Berg Dr. L. Stephen Buchanan Dr. Arnaldo Castellucci Dr. Gorden Christensen Dr. Rella Christensen Dr. William Dickerson Hugh Doherty Dr. James Doundoulakis Dr. David Garber Dr. Fay Goldstep Dr. Howard Glazer Dr. Harold Heymann Dr. Karl Leinfelder Dr. Roger Levin Dr. Carl E. Misch Dr. Dan Nathanson Dr. Chester Redhead Dr. Irwin Smigel Dr. Jon Suzuki Dr. Dennis Tartakow Dr. Dan Ward Patricia Walsh, RDH, BS, has been a clinical dental hygienist for more than 20 years. She is a graduate of the Fones School of Dental Hygiene, University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. She has an extensive history in international volunteer work in oral health, including being instrumental in the creation of The Thailand Dental Project, a volunteer program focused on providing educational, preventive and restorative dental care to children in a tsunami-affected region of Thailand. Contact her at pwalshrdh@uberhygienist.com. stated that it was no longer considered to be a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) over-the-counter product. Merthiolate was another commonly found antiseptic and antifungal agent that was banned be- cause of its mercury content. Iodine was determined by the U.S. Jus- tice Department to have a roll in the pro- duction of methamphetamine and is now a restricted purchase. I wouldn’t recom- mend bringing back anything more than 4 fl. oz. of tincture of iodine from your next Mexican vacation. Scrape your feet on a coral reef, and you might find your- self detained at customs for question- ing about your toiletry kit. While iodine crystals are the form of choice for illegal drug labs, some smaller manufacturers are known to combine tincture of iodine with hydrogen peroxide. Some business- es have removed iodine from the shelves, while others are simply restricting large quantity sales — i.e., more than $100 worth. When I asked my local pharmacist about Walgreen’s policy, he pointed to the surveillance cameras above the tincture of iodine shelf. Legitimate medical labo- ratories that do gram staining now have additional paperwork due to the restric- tions on iodine strengths and quantities. Iodine getting harder to find The old-time iodine bottle with the skull and crossbones sitting in the medicine cabinet has come and gone. In this new age of communication and entertain- ment, I wonder if a child would even be put off by the sight of a poison label. Chil- dren are exposed to cartoon pirates at such an early age. In the mid 19th century, cobalt blue bottles or raised glass letter- ing were used to help in the identification of poison. While there is no federal mandate for small quantities, iodine has disappeared from a few pharmacies and department store shelves the way Sudafed did most recently. Home brewers take heart, these pharmacists just require that you sign a poison-control statement and list the rea- son for your purchase. For those of you who still buy your beer in the traditional manner, iodine is often used as a test for starch conversion in the mash. Ad

Hygiene Tribune U.S. Edition

Pages Overview