Eric Jaeger, age 14, of Florissant, Mo., for his question:

WHAT IS IN SACCHARIN?

Saccharin is a crystal powder used for sweetening. It is between 400 to 500 times sweeter than table sugar but doesn't contain the carbohydrates or food values sugar does ¬nor does it contain some of the items many scientists say are found in sugar and are harmful to man if used in large amounts.

Saccharin is made from toluene, a substance made from coal tar and from petroleum. It was discovered in 1870 by a German chemist named Constantin Fahlberg, and an American Chemist named Ira Remsen.

Because it has no food value, the U.S. Pure Food and Drug laws prohibit its use in most commercial food items.