<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Thanks to all of you who responded.

Many people agreed that the human factor can render an otherwise safe
ingredient unsafe for some celiacs.

A surprising number of list mates reported that they have become ill
after eating supposedly gluten-free foods, and had not really
considered manufacturing errors as a possible cause.

A professional dietician on the list summed it up nicely: "There is
no way I would personally want to guarantee somebody else's work."

The level of gluten sensitivity covers a wide range, and some
Celiacs, particularly extreme reactors like my wife, may have other
allergies as well and may be responding to another component in a
particular product.

It simply boils down to tailoring your diet to your personal level of
gluten sensitivity.  To quote one responder, " ... most celiacs need
to understand that the distilled products are fine for them IF they
aren't sensitive to them."

If you react to a food, it doesn't really matter whether it is
theoretically gluten-free or not, just stay away from that product.

As Sgt.Phil Esterhaus used to say - "And, hey - let's be careful out there."

I was asked to explain how I thought distilled products could be
contaminated by the original product.  I replied as follows:

>I have never seen a commercial distillation facility, but based on
>my 26 years of experience as an industrial electrician /electronics
>tech in a facility that does exotic powder metallurgy, I would not
>be surprised to find missmarked vessels, improperly cleaned
>equipment, worn equipment, leaky valves or seals, worn heat
>exchangers / condensing coils, contamination from airborne
>particulates when equipment is open to the atmosphere, contaminated
>cleaning agents, questionable raw materials - you are at the mercy
>of your suppliers - as well as the ever present human factor.
>
>Most products are built to a specific dimensional and/or chemical
>tolerence, and I would see no reason why distillation would be any
>different.  If a certain concentration of insect parts is considered
>acceptable in food products, why would distillation be any different?
>
>As I mentioned in my original posting, my wife is an extreme
>reactor. She lost over seventy pounds and nearly died because
>medications that were supposed to be GF were not.  The gluten in
>each case was hidden in the supposedly inert binders.  She has had
>several reactions from GF foods that turned out to have hidden
>gluten, so I call the manufacturer to confirm the GF status of each
>and every food or medication that enters our house.  I have also
>gone nose to nose with misinformed ER doctors. It is literally a
>matter of life or death.


We have recently changed our e-mail, but have previously posted from
[log in to unmask] so some of our adventures with gluten should be
in the archives.

--

As always, these are our experiences only, thus no warranty is
expressed or implied, Your mileage may vary. Look both ways before
you cross the street.

peace
steve & deni weber
Valparaiso Indiana USA
[log in to unmask] (previously [log in to unmask])