toxicologist have a expression that “ the venereal disease makes the poisonous substance , ” meaning that anything and everything can kill you in big enough quantities . So here we take five incredibly vulgar ( and usually benign ) solid food and household detail to their unlogical conclusion . Ever contemplate eating 480 bananas ? Do n’t do it .
While we ’re on that note , this is n’t a dare . Also , drink in that much coffee sounds disgusting .
480 Bananas
have us brush off , for now , the logistical difficulties of fitting 480 bananas in our stomach , and talk about K . A distinctive banana turn back about 450 milligrams of atomic number 19 , ready it an excellent source of the electrolyte . atomic number 19 ions flow through our bodies , asseverate the counterbalance of fluid inside and playing a theatrical role in muscle condensation and boldness impulses . cellular phone invirtually every tissue in the bodyhave potassium channels .
It would be virtually impossible to rust a medial lethal dose of potassium ( about 1.4 pounds ) , but the element is a lot more mortal injected directly into the bloodstream , when a massive and sudden inflow overwhelms the consistence . We jazz this all too well because in lethal injections , atomic number 19 chloride is the last chemical that blockade the mettle from beat .
179 Espresso Shots
A temperate dose of caffeine is a much - ask pick - me - up in the first light . A very mellow acid of caffeine is caffein tipsiness , the worst share of drinking coffee tree worsen : restlessness , anxiety , insomnia , an disordered breadbasket , a racing heart . Take that to an even further extreme and caffeine can overstimulate the nervous system so much that itcauses a cardiacdysrhythmia(irregular heartbeat ) or seizure .
A median lethal venereal infection is about 11 grams for an adult . Caffeine poisoning is extremely rarified and unlikely with coffee alone , but theadvent of pills and caffeine - lace energy drinkshave made the problem worse .
47 Teaspoons of Salt
As any reader of castaway survivor story will know , do not wassail the seawater . There is far too much salt in it for our body to handle .
Like potassium , sodium is an electrolyte that govern the water flowing in and out of our cells . When there is too much atomic number 11 in the interstitial fluid that bathes our cells , weewee will naturally leave those cells by osmosis to regenerate the counterweight . This induce the cells to cringe . The most obvioussymptoms of hypernatremia , or an nimiety of saltiness , are neurologic : unresponsiveness , lethargy , helplessness . Too much salinity , and it can cause seizures or a coma .
17 Bottles of Water
Yes , even water . Water tipsiness is essentially the opposite of too much salt . When there is too much water and not enough salt in the interstitial fluid between our prison cell , those cells protrude taking in urine andswell up like balloons . Tightly jammed brain prison cell have no room to swell inside the skull , leading to brainiac terms that could be fateful .
Drinking that sheer amount of H2O israre under normal circumstance . It is most unwashed in endurance jock or ravers taking hug drug , where the perspiration leads to a lot of water drinking . But electrolytes fall back through exertion also demand to be replaced . Our bodies generally do a good job of maintaining a pee balance between all that hidrosis , peeing , eating , and drunkenness , but it physically expose down at the extremes — specifically , 17 16 - troy ounce bottles .
24 Tubes of Toothpaste
Every tube of toothpaste come with a warning : “ Keep out of reach of children under 6 year of long time . ” Fluoride in modest back breaker is indisputably upright for preventing tooth decay , but too much of it can ask a call to the Poison Control center . Still , a pernicious dosage command a quite a little of toothpaste—24 6 - ounce tubes for an adult and multiple tubes even for a small minor . A review of 87 fluoride consumption cases in children foundnone with last effects that were the resultant of eat toothpaste .
illustration by Michael Hession
A Brief Note on Methodology
All numbers are calculated using a standard metrical called medial lethal dose ( LD50 ) , the window pane that kills one-half of a test population . This accounts for natural unevenness between subject , but it also means that even a Lucy in the sky with diamonds below the LD50 can be lethal . LD50s are ordinarily tested in rats or mice and reported as milligram of marrow per kilo of body weight . These figure are calculated for a 90 kilogram ( approximately 200 lb ) grownup human male person and are , of course of instruction , only judge . Again , do n’t take this as a dare .
Here are the source for the LD50s and other relevant phone number .
Bananas : Potassium citrate , which is the form of potassium in bananas , has an LD50 of7200mg / kg . About 1/3 of the molecular weight of potassium citrate is from the potassium , so a banana that contains450 mg of potassiumcontains 1350 mg of potassium citrate .
Caffeine : Caffeine has an LD50 of127 mg / kg . A shot of espresso contains64 mg of caffeine .
Salt : Table salt ( sodium chloride ) has an LD50 of3000 mg / kg . A teaspoon of salt weighs about5.69 gram .
piss : water supply has an LD50 of90 ml / kg .
Toothpaste : Sodium fluoride has an LD50 of52 mg / kg . One 4.6 - ounce tube of toothpaste contains152 mg of sodium fluoride ; a 6 - oz tube stop about 198 mg .
FoodFood safetyHealthPoisonScience
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , science , and polish intelligence in your inbox daily .
News from the time to come , delivered to your present .
You May Also Like
