Death by Botox? Can Botulinum Toxin Kill You?

  • Thread starter Thread starter meganw
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Death
AI Thread Summary
Drinking botulinum toxin can be fatal, as it is one of the most potent toxins known, with lethal doses in the microgram range for humans. While small doses, such as those used in Botox injections, are safe, larger amounts can lead to death. The discussion highlights that foodborne botulism arises from the effects of the toxin produced by the bacteria rather than the bacteria itself. Heating contaminated food can eliminate the toxin but not necessarily the bacterial spores. In adults, this typically isn't a concern, but in infants, it can lead to serious health issues due to the colonization of the gastrointestinal tract.
meganw
Messages
96
Reaction score
0
If someone drank botulinum toxin, would they die?

My friend and I have a bet. I say yes. (note we're not actually going to drink it, we are both chem and bio geeks though and I say yes and he says no.)

I think you'd die almost instantly, right? He says you wouldn't because its the same stuff they use Botox for.
 
Chemistry news on Phys.org
You won. As with every poison, it depends on the dose. Small dose enough and no problems, large enough and you are done. Botulin is one of the most potent toxins known, and large enough means something in the 1 microgram range per person. Doses used in Botox injections are much smaller.
 
Awesome, thanks!
 
food borne botulism is the result of direct effects of the produced toxin rather than internal production by the bacteria) Heating contminated food can destroy the toxin without necessarily killing the bacterial spores. This generally isn't a problem in adults but in infants it can result in the colinization of the GI tract and later botulism poisoning.
 
I want to test a humidity sensor with one or more saturated salt solutions. The table salt that I have on hand contains one of two anticaking agents, calcium silicate or sodium aluminosilicate. Will the presence of either of these additives (or iodine for that matter) significantly affect the equilibrium humidity? I searched and all the how-to-do-it guides did not address this question. One research paper I found reported that at 1.5% w/w calcium silicate increased the deliquescent point by...
I was introduced to the Octet Rule recently and make me wonder, why does 8 valence electrons or a full p orbital always make an element inert? What is so special with a full p orbital? Like take Calcium for an example, its outer orbital is filled but its only the s orbital thats filled so its still reactive not so much as the Alkaline metals but still pretty reactive. Can someone explain it to me? Thanks!!
I'm trying to find a cheap DIY method to etch holes of various shapes through 0.3mm Aluminium sheet using 5-10% Sodium Hydroxide. The idea is to apply a resist to the Aluminium then selectively ablate it off using a diode laser cutter and then dissolve away the Aluminium using Sodium Hydroxide. By cheap I mean resists costing say £20 in small quantities. The Internet has suggested various resists to try including... Enamel paint (only survived seconds in the NaOH!) Acrylic paint (only...

Similar threads

Replies
26
Views
14K
Replies
13
Views
2K
Replies
3
Views
4K
Replies
11
Views
4K
Replies
8
Views
6K
Back
Top