What was the toxic chemical used in the Sulfanilamide Tragedy?

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Multiple Choice

What was the toxic chemical used in the Sulfanilamide Tragedy?

Explanation:
Diethylene glycol is a highly toxic solvent. In the Sulfanilamide Tragedy of 1937, a sulfanilamide preparation was dissolved in diethylene glycol and marketed as an elixir. People who took the drug were poisoned by the DEG, which can cause severe kidney failure and death when ingested. The widespread, preventable poisonings highlighted the danger of using untested excipients in medicines and directly led to the 1938 law that required safety testing and proper labeling for new drugs. Other glycols have different toxicity profiles, but the substance responsible for the tragedy was diethylene glycol.

Diethylene glycol is a highly toxic solvent. In the Sulfanilamide Tragedy of 1937, a sulfanilamide preparation was dissolved in diethylene glycol and marketed as an elixir. People who took the drug were poisoned by the DEG, which can cause severe kidney failure and death when ingested. The widespread, preventable poisonings highlighted the danger of using untested excipients in medicines and directly led to the 1938 law that required safety testing and proper labeling for new drugs. Other glycols have different toxicity profiles, but the substance responsible for the tragedy was diethylene glycol.

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