The shelf life of activated carbon and its storage rules

Activated carbon is a simple and cheap adsorbent for the body. It is present in virtually any medicine cabinet. But many people use this drug very rarely and therefore sooner or later they can find out that the expiration date of activated carbon has expired when it became necessary to apply this drug. How to be in this case?

Shelf life

The most common form of release of activated carbon - a tablet weighing 250 mg, placed in individual cells. In one package there are 10 pieces of tablets. Coal activated, produced in such a pack, usually has a shelf life of two years. This period is indicated on the package itself with the drug. But in fact this term is conditional. With proper observance of storage conditions, the shelf life of activated carbon is not limited.

When the integrity of the package is violated (in the place where the individual cell with the pill is located), activated carbon gradually loses its properties, as it immediately absorbs substances from the environment. But even in this case, the coal pill will not harm the body, it simply can not absorb toxins and any other substances from the body.

How to store?

To ensure that the activated carbon has not expired, and the properties of the drug have been preserved for many years, the following rules must be observed:

• Keep the activated carbon in a cool, dry place without freezing and high humidity (freezer and bathroom do not fit);
• The sun's rays should not fall on the storage site of the preparation;
• When stored in a refrigerator, it is necessary to place the activated carbon package in a container or a hermetically sealed bag (the drug can absorb certain substances from the refrigerator and lose its properties);
• In the refrigerator, the preparation should not be stored in places with strong cooling;
• Next to the drug should not be substances that evaporate easily;
• There should be no access to the storage of the medicine in children or rodents.

The expiration date of activated carbon, subject to the above conditions, will be literally eternal.

Application

Adsorption is a property of activated carbon, which means the absorption of vapors, gases, substances or solutions. To remove harmful substances from the body, you need to drink activated charcoal. Many do not know under what conditions this drug can be useful. The shelf life of activated carbon might still be far from expiration if everyone took these pills as needed.

Activated carbon, which is sold in a pharmacy, has the following indications:

• Flatulence (gases in the intestine);
• Indigestion disorder;
• Excessive release of mucus and gastric juice;
• Fermentation and putrefaction in the digestive tract;
• Various poisoning (glycosides, food, alkaloids, chemicals, drugs);
• dysentery;
• Salmonellosis;
• Hepatitis (chronic or acute);
• atopic dermatitis;
• gastritis;
• bronchial asthma;
• Enterocolitis;
• Cholecystopancreatitis.

There are a lot of indications for the medicine, besides it is practically harmless. If a product such as activated charcoal has expired, and there are concerns about its use, it is easier to buy fresh packaging from the pharmacy, especially since it costs a penny. There are many recipes for face masks and hair, which use activated charcoal. If you apply them in practice, then the packaging with the drug can end much earlier than its expiration date will have time to expire.