Help! Can't Use Dragees-What Do I Do?
Decorating By brubake Updated 20 Dec 2005 , 2:13pm by cakeconfections
Sorry! I must be on a rampage!
Ellepal it's understandable. The whole mess is ridiculous. All the points you've made make perfect sense. There are a lot of things out there a LOT worse than silver cachous/dragees.
I wont start listing them because i may not stop : )
Nati
I'm going to slightly disagree with Lisa. While she's right - non-toxic doesn't necessarily mean edible, just because the FDA says it's for decoration only, that doesn't mean it's inedible.
The FDA's objection is to the silver coating. We're the only country that has regulated this. In India, they actually cover a lot of candy (sweetmeats) with silver leaf. They don't get sick from it. Now anybody that's in the medical field or even had a lot of schooling in the biological or chemical sciences can tell you that any metal in high quantities will make you sick, silver and gold included. It's even bad to have too much iron. Too much aluminum, which can be leached from non-anodized aluminum cookware (this happens most with acidic liquids like tomato sauce), can be very harmful. Heck, drinking too much water can kill you. The list goes on and on and on and on...... The thing is, common sense usually wins. Or at least it used to.
From 2 different sources:
"Trace amounts of silver are in the bodies of all humans and animals. We normally take in between 70 and 88 micrograms of silver a day, half of that amount from our diet. Humans have evolved with efficient methods of dealing with that intake, however. Over 99 percent is readily excreted from the body."
"Argyria is a process of silver granule deposition in skin leading to a permanent blue/gray discoloration There is no tissue injury. The effect is a cosmetic problem. The most common causes were not from medicinal use of silver but rather the constant exposure to silver either as a chemist, silver miner or long term use of silver cups, plates, etc. Of interest is the fact that the term "blue blood" used to describe Royalty came from the finding of mild argyria in European nobility from the constant use of silver place setting, silverware, and silver cups, leading to a bluish skin color. Silver granules can be found in all organs including the skin indicating that the silver aggregates are not cleared. (at least 10 grams needs to be absorbed).
(Local)
Silver itself has been shown to be harmless to normal human tissue. Any toxicity results from the salt or complexes which are used to deliver the silver.
On a similar subject -- News story this morning on our local radio said that testing on Beethoven hair follicles showed that he died of too much iron in his body. Kind of funny since we are on this subject.
I use the dragees -- in fact, I purchased them and mailed them to another member of this forum. I remember seeing them on a wedding cake when I was a child and even eating them from the cake. I'm a somewhat normal person so I don't think that they affected me! Just don't ask my dh's opinion on that subject!!! I think the key is moderation. Don't go out and eat the whole bottle. I'm doing a cake this Sunday that will have them on there. Should I warn everyone as I'm cutting the cake and let them eat at their own risk and possibly freak everyone out -- therefore losing business? I think the risk is very low for the amount of dragees that I'm using.
I'm going to slightly disagree with Lisa. While she's right - non-toxic doesn't necessarily mean edible, just because the FDA says it's for decoration only, that doesn't mean it's inedible.
I don't think we disagree with each other just the FDA 
When the FDA says for decoration only they also mean unsafe.
http://www.fda.gov/ora/compliance_ref/cpg/cpgfod/cpg545-200.html
Recommend seizure or detain all shipments of silver coated (or silver colored) almonds, and any other silver coated food articles not confined to decorative use only.
Detentions should charge the article is violative within the meaning of Section 801(a)(3) of the act in that it appears to be adulterated, since it appears to bear silver, a color additive, which is unsafe within the meaning of Section 721(a) of the act.
Personally, I think a can is tuna is worse for you but I don't make the rules.
Heck, drinking too much water can kill you. The list goes on and on and on and on...... The thing is, common sense usually wins. Or at least it used to.
ali, as my husband likes to say, "Common sense isn't that common anymore!".
I would have to agree with him...just don't tell him I said that! 
Here in Canada they dragees are widely available at our bulk and grocery stores, silver and gold alike, even in different sizes. Lustre dust is not so widely available however there are no such restrictions on those either.
Oh crap 
Where have I been? I didn't know this. I have had a giant bag for years 
I figured they didn't go bad. But I just made a ton of cookies, most with them on the cookies and my kids took them to school. Hopefully the Police don't get me for givin silver and gold jaw breakers 
He's the guy who caused all the problems:
http://www.slashfood.com/2005/12/19/silver-balls-and-why-i-dislike-mark-pollock/
Let's get him! 
On this topic, if the FDA has stated that silver and gold dragees are harmful, have they also stated that silver cutlerly(sp) are also harmful. They are used more than meer candy.
I have to admit, on this subject I'm glad it isn't regulated here.
Just saw this and had to comment. I know silver ones are considered to be harmful, but I have not come across anything that states gold is. Gold is acutally edible and is not harmful.
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