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Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 396
Advanced Master Member
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I asked NSP's "Health Sciences & Research Department" about this some time ago. Here's their reply... When the raw material for Algin comes to us, Quality Assurance verifies that it contains no more than 0.1 mcg/g of mercury. If it does not meet this specification, we return the material and do not use it in production. If the material makes it through to production, encapsulation has no effect on the mercury content. The finished product still meets the specification of no more than 0.1 mcg/g of mercury. NSP does not make a “Mercury-Free” claim for this product.
Curtis Walcker
Research Scientist
Health Sciences & Educational Services Department
Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. Just so everyone knows, 0.1 micrograms is one ten-millionth of a gram. I was also told by another scientist from this same department (on a different occasion) that it probably isn’t possible to have 100% mercury free products, although some products may have undetectable levels of mercury depending on the sensitivity of the detection equipment. This is an important point because I can imagine some manufacturers may not use pharmacy-grade, industry standard equipment that is sensitive enought to measure for contaminants down to parts-per-million (which is required only in the state of California). Fortunately, NSP voluntarily complies with California's strict standards. Regarding NSP's other products, they are all tested for heavy metal contaminants to make sure they meet California's strict limits. It's interesting to note that some foods grown in California naturally contain higher amounts of heavy metals than the law permits. But, since Californians have to eat, these foods are exempted. Hmmmm.... I hope this helps answer your question.
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