Other uses of urea from Wikipedia: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urea)
Industrial
use
Urea's commercial uses include:
* As a raw material for the manufacture of plastics specifically,
urea-formaldehyde resin.
* As a component of fertilizer and animal feed, providing a
relatively cheap source of fixed nitrogen to promote growth.
* As an alternative to rock salt in the deicing of roadways and
runways. It does not promote metal corrosion to the extent that
salt does.
* As an additive ingredient in cigarettes, designed to enhance
flavor.
* Sometimes used as a browning agent in factory-produced
pretzels.
* As an ingredient in some hair conditioners, facial cleansers,
bath oils and lotions.
* It is also used as a reactant in some ready-to-use cold
compresses for first-aid use, due to the endothermic reaction it
creates when mixed with water.
* Active ingredient for diesel engine exhaust treatment
AdBlue.
Laboratory
use
Urea is a powerful protein denaturant. This property can be
exploited to increase the solubility of some proteins. For this
application it is used in concentrations up to 10M.
Medical
use
Drug use
Urea is used in topical dermatological products to promote
rehydration of the skin.
Physiological diagnosis
See also blood urea nitrogen for a commonly performed urea test, a
marker of renal function
Because urea is produced and excreted at a roughly constant rate,
high levels of urea in the blood indicate a problem with the
removal or, more rarely, the over-production of urea in the
body.
The most common cause of uremia is renal problems. It is measured
along with creatinine to indicate direct problems with the kidneys
(e.g., chronic renal failure) or secondary problems such as
hypothyroidism.
Urea levels can be increased also in some malignant blood disorders
(e.g., leukaemia and multiple myeloma).
Markedly high levels of urea (uremia) can cause neurological
disturbances (encephalopathy). Prolonged periods of uremia may
result in the skin taking on a grey discolouration or even forming
frank urea crystals ("uremic frost").
