Chemistry is not as straightforward as the names of the chemicals themselves. How many women would stop using super-glue for their nails if they knew that it is has cyanide in it? (cyanoacrylate anyone?)

The saccharine scare was based upon lab tests using an absolutely absurd amount of consumption. I don’t remember the actual numbers, but if the lab rats ate the equivalent amount of sugar per pound of body weight (which would be impossible for them, unless you could get a rat to eat several pounds of sugar per day) they probably would have developed cancers from the overdose of sugar!

Splenda is actually a “left-handed” sugar molecule. Regular sucrose is a normal "right-handed" molecule. Your body simply lacks the ability to recognize & (fully) digest a left-handed sugar molecule; therefore it just passes through your system. (I’m resisting the temptation to include a few Olestra jokes )

I remember reading about the discovery of these left-handed sugar molecules many years ago in one of the science journals. If I recall correctly, it was discovered as a naturally occurring, yet rare, substance. The process to synthesize regular sugar into the left-handed version requires chemical manipulation, for which the other chemicals listed are utilized.