ACT Health has issued a public alert for consumers to be aware of the potential dangers of weight-loss products containing the chemical, 2,4-dinitrophenol, or DNP.
Chief Health Officer, Dr Paul Kelly said the warning mirrored advice provided by NSW Health.
Dr Kelly said the suspected products, known as ‘shredders’, possibly contained DNP which was highly toxic.
“There is a myth that if used in small amounts users will be safe, but DNP is an extremely toxic substance,” Dr Kelly said.
“DNP can cause a range of serious medical problems, including muscle breakdown, kidney failure, seizures and coma.”
He said there was no antidote and even with the best medical care, people had died after using products containing the chemical.
“Products marketed online advertised as featuring DNP should be avoided, as should any product from an unverified source that is promoted as a weight-loss agent,” Dr Kelly said.
He said people could become seriously unwell within hours of ingesting DNP and should phone Triple Zero immediately if they thought they were affected.
Clinical Toxicologist and Intensive Care Physician at the NSW Poisons Information Centre, Dr Kylie McArdle said several deaths from taking DNP had been reported overseas and more recently in Australia.
“DNP prevents energy being stored as fat,” Dr McArdle said.
“Instead the energy is released as heat. “This increases body temperature which can damage the cells of organs such as muscle, kidney and brain,” she said.
