'interesting' DNP tidbit...urban legend??

[BigGreen]

First, let me state that I neither have nor desire to ever have, experience with DNP, those this does not prevent me from looking into it for various reasons, if not solely for my own edification and the satisfying of a curiosity. To get straight to the point, I've heard from more than a few people now that DNP was once used (and may still be in some parts of the world) by various militaries during WWII as a way to help troops stave off the chills on the European front!? Furthermore, many of these same individuals also make the (bizzare?...you decide) claim that a number of the Axis powers (hitler in particular) employed DNP as an agent which was given to POW's so that there temperatures could be kept "reasonable" without precious fuel being diverted from the war effort to achieve the same result.

Had I heard this from only one or two individuals, I may simply have discounted it as foolishness. However, having heard facsimiles of this "tale" from more than a handful of people, none of whom know one another, I'm forced to at the very least ponder its validity. Is this news to anyone else? I'm thinking that if I can track down 7 or 8 people in my corner of the world who claim this is true, some member of this board must similarly have heard the tale. Anyone?

[3Vandoo]

I think that BS!

it makes you weak and even if I showel my snow at -20 in boxer and tank top while on!

you get sick and get a cold!

[BigGreen]

that would be my suspicion as well, but having never touched the stuff or known very well anyone who has. However, I researched a bit last night, and was able to track down this (it is excerpted from what could be considered an online source, so I don't want to post the link...but I'll be happy to tell you how i found it and on what search engine if you'd like):

"DNP has been around since the turn of the century. Although not used as a diet aid or weight loss supplement to begin with, it was eventually found to be a very effective weight loss drug. It is an industrial chemical first being used to ignite TNT in the 1900's. It has also been used as a bug pesticide (melting the bug from the inside out), fabric dye and then a Stanford University study showed that it caused significant weight loss and has been used for that purpose since the 1930's. Hitler used it in the concentration camps during World War 2 to keep prisoners warm during the winter without the need for heating the buildings."

But, we also have to consider that the Deutsche Nationale Partei is often associated with Hitler (and abbreviated as DNP), so that *may* be where the rumor mill started churning.

[3Vandoo]

as we remember the NAZI, why would they care about giving heat to prisoneers?

I know they gave test!