Charcoal, first of all, is a product you get from burning wood, peat, bones, cellulose, or other carbonaceous substances.[1] However, it’s not that straightforward. When you burn wood in a campfire, you mostly get ash. To get actual charcoal, you have to burn wood inside a low-oxygen environment at a heat level of over 1000°F (537.778°C) – something like a steel or clay box should be airtight enough. Without oxygen, the wood can’t combust or catch fire – which is good. Instead, the water, tar, and gases like methane in the wood will melt or evaporate, leaving behind only pure carbon (charcoal in lump form) and ash.[2]
Activated charcoal, on the other hand, is like processing charcoal a little further to get a fine black powder that could be useful for a lot of things, beyond making a barbecue.
What Is Activated Charcoal?
Here’s how ‘charcoal’ becomes ‘activated’.
First, freshly-made charcoal is selected and rid of all ash and dirt. Secondly, it is crushed into powder and dried. Lastly, it is treated with oxygen, steam, certain acids, and carbon dioxide, among other chemicals to eliminate impurities. In addition to purification, the activation process, more importantly, creates numerous holes on the crushed charcoal particles, which increases the surface area, quite significantly – roughly 1000m2 per gram of fine charcoal powder. The resultant volume and porous structure of the activated charcoal make it adequate for a lot of things, including trapping toxins (or adsorption).[3]
Interestingly, activated charcoal has gotten enough plug to be included in our food and drugs but since its safety concerns most people, we will address it.
Is Activated Charcoal Safe for Use?
It is an approved method for the emergency treatment of overdoses or accidental poisoning.[4] However, over the decades, its popularity has grown, thus, certain other uses now include;
- Detox products,
- Cosmetics,
- Water filtration, etc.
Whether, or not, it is safe for use in foods, cosmetics, and medication hasn’t been scientifically proven. However, its use has been widely adopted without any reported life-threatening side effects. Still, it depends on the given context of ‘safe’.
Avoid use, if on prescribed medication
The same properties that make activated charcoal highly effective in the treatment of drug overdose and accidental poisoning also make it unsuitable for individuals that rely on medication. Simply put, if you’re on any medication or water-soluble vitamins, consuming charcoal could make such medication or vitamins ineffective.[5] In such an instance, you could say that it is not safe for consumption.
Toothpaste containing activated charcoal may not be safe
As regards dental hygiene, it has been found ‘incredibly abrasive’ to tooth enamel when present in toothpaste. It can lead to highly sensitive yellowed teeth and increases the individual’s susceptibility to dental decay. Not to mention that it could soak up all the healthy bacteria in your oral cavity. Besides, most toothpaste with activated charcoal doesn’t contain fluoride (which prevents tooth cavities), and if you use a fluoride toothpaste alongside activated charcoal, it’ll just end up reversing the effects of the fluoride anyway.[6]
Other than these, the safety of charcoal is mostly hinged on proving its advertised beneficial profile, i.e. its antibacterial properties in shampoos and conditioners.
Activated charcoal’s antibacterial properties; fact or fable?
Unfortunately, it may not be able to differentiate between good and bad bacteria so it can potentially inactivate the good bacteria on our hair.[6] By that logic, does it do more harm than good? There’s no saying since these findings are mostly hypothetical (given activated charcoal’s mode of action). Thankfully, general side effects are minimal to inexistent,[4] and where they occur, they should be addressed with the help of a certified health professional.
Closing Thoughts
Considering activated charcoal’s history and mode of action, one can only be thankful for its life-saving properties. What have you used it for? Let us know in the comments section below!
References
- N. Phonphuak, P. Chindaprasirt, in Eco-Efficient Masonry Bricks and Blocks, 2015. Types of waste, properties, and durability of pore-forming waste-based fired masonry bricks. Retrieved February 24, 2020, from; https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemical-engineering/charcoal
- Napoleon (n.d.). What Is Charcoal? Retrieved February 24, 2020, from; https://www.napoleon.com/en/ca/barbecues/what-charcoal-and-where-does-it-come
- HH Patel, M.Pharm.(2019). What is Activated Charcoal? Reviewed by Angela Betsaida B. Laguipo, BSN. Retrieved February 24, 2020, from News Medical – Life Sciences; https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-Activated-Charcoal.aspx
- Medically reviewed by Alan Carter, PharmD on January 10, 2020 — Written by Jennifer Huizen. What are the benefits of activated charcoal? Retrieved February 25, 2020, from Medical News Today; https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322609
- Kerry Torrens – Nutritionist (2018). What is activated charcoal and is it safe? Retrieved February 25, 2020, from BBC Good Food; https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/what-activated-charcoal-and-it-safe
- Rachel Ross – Live Science Contributor October 17, 2019. What Is Activated Charcoal? Retrieved February 25, 2020, from Live Science; https://www.livescience.com/activated-charcoal.html
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