r/todayilearned • u/Oyster_- • 3h ago

TIL that silica gel packets are actually non-toxic and inert in the body, and swallowing one will most likely cause no symptoms. The "do not eat" label refers to a choking hazard.

https://www.poison.org/articles/silica-gel
2.5k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

136 comments sorted by

304

u/TorakTheDark 3h ago

Isn’t it because they could potentially cause an intestinal blockage as well, or am I mistaken?

218

u/toochaos 3h ago

Yes they arent toxic, just like magnets or hair, doesnt mean they arent dangerous. It ab(d)sorbs(?) Water and can swell up which isnt good. 

66

u/cwx149 3h ago

Yeah non toxic doesn't mean safe to consume either

53

u/Kyvalmaezar 3h ago

Most dessicants, silica included, primarily adsorb moisture. Water sticks to the surface rather than penetrating into the bulk of the material (absorb).

42

u/Nessie_of_the_Loch 3h ago

This is correct. Silica can maybe adsorb about 40% of its weight in water. In contrast, things like water beads (polyacrylamides) can absorb 400 TIMES its weight in water, and expand several hundred times it's original dry size as a hydrogel. That's why these are so dangerous to consume (plus they tend not to show up on x-rays either).

This is the same reason why people should not consume dry chia seeds, which can be dangerous even though they only absorb about 10x their weight in water in comparison.

•

u/M4K4T4K 41m ago

TIL adsorb is a word and what it means.

•

u/captainzaro 7m ago

Thanks! Without your comment I would not have realized that I just skimmed that word thinking it was absorb. Cool word

•

u/Yuukiko_ 15m ago

the orange/blue indicator beads are toxic though

10

u/pantry-pisser 3h ago

I doubt it. I use them to keep filament dry, and when they're completed full with water, they're barely any bigger.

5

u/Unique-Coffee5087 3h ago

They are basically glass beads, and do not swell.

3

u/Oyster_- 3h ago

That is a potential although it is very rare in small quantities

1

u/cantileverboom 2h ago

Yeah, if you eat enough, the silica gel will absorb a significant amount of water which could cause a blockage, but your body will generally just attempt to vomit the silica gels out. You can just treat it by staying hydrated until your body passes them.

chubbyemu (actual physician despite the funny channel name) did a video about a case where someone with mental health issues ate 25 packets of silica gel

https://youtu.be/ChgIkbg0x80

580

u/Graf_Eulenburg 3h ago

It's actually a way out of the matrix...

135

u/Visible-Literature14 3h ago

You need to delete this comment before they see it

28

u/ThaScoopALoop 3h ago

I have no mouth and I must scream!

3

u/Visible-Literature14 3h ago

Line haunts me

•

u/CurrentDismal9115 17m ago

Too late. All the landlines are gone. There's no more exits!

49

u/RecoveredAlive 3h ago

If you are reading this, this is your subconscious telling you that now is the time to WAKE UP! Your real family loves and misses you, please COME BACK!

14

u/RealEstateDuck 3h ago

Shouldn't have eaten the damn space bee royal jelly.

25

u/Tiny_Tabaxi 3h ago

What are you talking about? I AM awake.

Hmm whats up with that lamp?

9

u/--Sovereign-- 3h ago

Is that a sticky note?

2

u/kjbaran 3h ago

Read as subscription, am I asleep?

•

u/Gergith 47m ago

I love when memes alter the way you look at the world for the rest of your life. I always thinks of this one too first when I see these in real life.

5

u/BarnacleMcBarndoor 3h ago

Just a heads up, you probably need to swallow it.

Snorting it only cleared up my runny nose.

2

u/levosis1 3h ago

You take the white pill and…

5

u/Visible-Literature14 3h ago

turn into a piece of chalk

2

u/SisterRosaria2021 2h ago

What happens if I take the black pill?

6

u/TheWolphman 2h ago

It's Nazis all the way down.

•

u/gbay 9m ago

I just watched the matrix. This can’t be a coincidence

97

u/Black-Shoe 3h ago

Let’s go!!!

23

u/ATLHawksfan 3h ago

KIds!!! Dinner!!!!!

2

u/Black-Shoe 3h ago

Lets Go!!!!!!

178

u/Pantelonia 3h ago edited 3h ago

Silica gel is a desiccant so it absorbs water. If someone (say a small child) eats too many it can be dangerous as it can lead to dehydration which can be fatal in extreme cases. Also as they don't break down in the body it can lead to blockages if too much is eaten. Keep away from children.

46

u/x4nTu5 3h ago

But how many is too many? What's the saturation point? You know, for science.

26

u/Beneneb 3h ago

Just keep eating them until it blocks your intestines. Then you'll know for the future.

4

u/TheWolphman 2h ago

That's just one data point though. Better start feeding them to others for science.

2

u/gefahr 1h ago

You also need some people who think you fed them to them.

7

u/Pantelonia 3h ago

Depends on the size of the person and how much the moisture the silica has already absorbed I expect. A few would probably be fine but lots would be bad.

3

u/Independent-Trust260 3h ago

Start off with a few and keep increasing over many days. When you stop pooping, you might want to worry 😆

2

u/Ahelex 3h ago

But what if that means you develop a resistance to silica gel?

1

u/Independent-Trust260 3h ago

Like an increased anal girth to push the ever increasing mass?

1

u/Ahelex 3h ago

Maybe?

For the interest of science, who wants to volunteer?

1

u/Beautiful-Musk-Ox 1h ago

i've dumped a whole pile into 2 ounces of water and all the water stayed, it heated up which was interesting

•

u/x4nTu5 28m ago

Now that IS interesting. So its exothermic?

•

u/bernpfenn 32m ago

ask the right question: what is the letal dose LD50? 50% die.

12

u/stealthybutthole 3h ago

They can only adsorb like twice (probably less) their volume. The standard size packets that are in most products might adsorb 1/2 a tablespoon of water.

6

u/Submitten 2h ago

Most food you eat absorbs water.

Do you know how much you’d have to eat to die of dehydration? I feel like you just made that up based on the basic knowledge that they absorb water.

2

u/Betaateb 1h ago

Also, the base knowledge is wrong. They don't absorb water, they adsorb water. A key difference lol.

2

u/Legionof1 1h ago

Welp, now the AI is going to be confused.

5

u/SonOfMcGee 3h ago

It’s such a good desiccant that I wonder if it’s a particularly bad choking hazard.

2

u/Wank_A_Doodle_Doo 2h ago

I feel like they’d run into other issues first if they ate enough the desiccant part of it would begin to matter

•

u/princessDingleBerry 26m ago

Chia seeds are also dangerous to consume on their own for the same reason. A man almost suffocated from this once after they got stuck in this throat. 

33

u/Loud-Buffalo4711 3h ago

New TikTok challenge incoming

4

u/ATangK 2h ago

Natural selection.

13

u/MaximumEffort433 3h ago

Looks like silica gel packets are back on the menu, boys!

9

u/Gr00z 3h ago

Traditional blue-to-pink indicating silica gel contains a moisture-sensitive dye called cobalt chloride, which is classified as toxic

18

u/JockeyFullOfBourbon2 3h ago

ChubbyEmu on YouTube did a case breakdown. You may not die but it's very painful.

11

u/clamroll 3h ago

Back in high school I ate pizza that was loaded up with the contents of some silica gel packets. Someone at my work (clothing store) thought it would be hilarious to get one of the managers to eat it. I stopped in to get a check and had a slice as it was advertised as free pizza. Got most of the way through a slice before finding some pebbles of it that didn't get ground up as fine as the rest.

Yeah 36ish hours of some pretty not fun stomach aches. You can bet when I found out who did it they caught a deservedly swift fist to the gut. I've had food poisoning that sucked less, he was lucky that was all I did lol

5

u/SisterRosaria2021 2h ago

Egads, that is a horrible idea for a "prank"!

•

u/BoneThugsNHermione 52m ago

And then everyone clapped.

•

u/Dreamchaser_seven 6m ago

There was a case in my country where someone put silica get into her in-law's food purposely to make them sick. iirc she got a prison sentence. You let him off easy, he deserved worse.

1

u/bemo_10 3h ago

Is that the Nuclear Throne dude.

1

u/JockeyFullOfBourbon2 2h ago

No, he does medical videos documenting cases that have been submitted to medical journals. Good stuff.

1

u/bemo_10 2h ago

Sort his videos by oldest.

4

u/SmokeyWizard 3h ago

i KNEW that the comic of the guy eating the silica packet and breaking out of the simulation had to be real!

4

u/Leading-Radio-5396 3h ago

Had some... crazy friends when I was younger. Including one who thought it was a good or funny idea to open up the packet at the bottom of a bag of beef jerky, put some in a bong and smoked it. Not even joking or how I could make this up. He started coughing for awhile and seemed like he couldn't breath well, but it was unclear to me if he was exaggerating or what. I don't think he was.

4

u/Ok_Variation9430 3h ago

It mostly says DO NOT EAT because it isn’t food, not because it’s toxic. Although if you eat enough it will cause issues.

3

u/SupermarketOk2281 3h ago

Then why doesn't McDonald's have the same warning plastered over the drive-thru?

3

u/sootbrownies 3h ago

Well, yeah, its just silicon dioxide. Its pretty chemically inert in general. Sand, glass, quartz... all silicon dioxide

7

u/SupermarketOk2281 3h ago

Then logically speaking we can eat unlimited broken glass and hourglasses. Thanks Reddit!

3

u/mikeumm 3h ago

I had a teacher at tech school that would eat them. He also had a super lazy eye and would randomly flip tables full of car parts, often during the middle of tests.

3

u/GormHub 1h ago

We've been denying ourselves this whole time.

•

u/bernpfenn 41m ago

a life long never satisfied urge to eat one

3

u/CaptainOfMyself 1h ago

How about cats? I’ve told my cats they’re poisonous, have I lied?

2

u/ActorMonkey 3h ago

A friend of mine is terribly allergic

6

u/YcemeteryTreeY 3h ago

He shouldnt eat them either

3

u/ActorMonkey 3h ago

Thank you, Doctor.

1

u/Few_Examination_9687 3h ago

Did he learn the hard way?

2

u/NoSir4289 3h ago

What if I ate 5 pounds of it?

2

u/Oyster_- 3h ago

yeah that might not end so well lol

2

u/Katelyn420 3h ago

Reminds me when Kramer was got silicon packets into the Puco de Maya chips and salsa. 😂

2

u/JustApricot798 3h ago

I can't count how many times I eat my way through a beef jerky pack and can't remember if I threw that bitch out or not. I remember seeing it at one point; did I eat it? LOL

2

u/Dbizarrepremiere 2h ago

Hozier will be pleased to learn this

1

u/cobylicious_ 2h ago

Came here searching for this comment

2

u/amberlc002 2h ago

Learned this when I bought silica to dry flowers and got scared when my kid touched it. WHY HAVE I BEEN LIVING IN FEAR FOR DECADES?!

1

u/Oyster_- 2h ago

Well still be careful with them around children, as they are more susceptible to intestine blocking due to the silica gel, but they aren’t a problem if they just touch it

2

u/AggressiveParty3355 1h ago

Wait. I could have eaten these THE WHOLE TIME?!?!

2

u/boot2skull 1h ago

I thought it would turn me into a raisin.

2

u/rozzimos-3 1h ago

Can confirm, accidentally sucked one in as a baby, still here. Dead inside though

2

u/MycologistPutrid7494 3h ago

Breathing the dust from them is also dangerous. It can be deadly and there is no treatment. 

1

u/Neuroticaine 3h ago

They CAN lead to intestinal blockages.

1

u/liburIL 3h ago

My father inadvertantly became a test subject to this theory when I accidentally dumped a silica packet into a crock pot pizza pasta one family event. Still a running joke in our family.

1

u/westdan2 3h ago

I accidentally made a smoothie with a packet that fell out of an ingredient package. Didn't realize until the next time I made a smoothie.

1

u/CutsSoFresh 3h ago

They expand in water and will lead to blockages. There's a chubbyemu video about it on YouTube

1

u/derpsteronimo 3h ago

Doesn't say anything about putting them in the other end!

1

u/ALIENANAL 3h ago

Lunch is on me fellas!

1

u/markdepace 3h ago

yeah but you could get silicosis

1

u/Gizzard_Puncher 2h ago

I make my own hemorrhoid cream with crushed silica gel and Vaseline. Don't tell nobody it's my secret recipe.

•

u/bernpfenn 39m ago

add vanilla

1

u/FTWkansas 2h ago

My dog ate one once and evacuated himself from one end of the house to the other

1

u/GlitterChickens 2h ago

I collect them and save them in a container for use if my electronics get wet. Better than rice.

1

u/stainless5 2h ago

Ok ok, good good; but um, what about inhaling? 

1

u/flinjager123 2h ago

Silica gel is actually in a lot of food.

1

u/hookums 2h ago

HUGE news for my intrusive thoughts, thanks!

1

u/GarminTamzarian 1h ago

"See? Because of me, now they have a warning."

1

u/SynapseDrift 1h ago

Martini, extra dry.

1

u/deweydean 1h ago

The balls are inert.

1

u/Demonokuma 1h ago

They sure do make some noise when you put them in a hotel toilet before you leave.

1

u/Knoxius 1h ago

You're talking about the seasoning packet?

1

u/FudgePlus8480 1h ago

Explains how my friend is fine. He would actively seek these out and eat as many as possible as a child.

•

u/Yuiopy78 57m ago

I got in trouble once in middle school because a girl at the lunch table told a teacher I ate one . Why their response was anger and not concern, I still don't understand.

•

u/grundle_pie 56m ago

Nice try big silica antidote

•

u/VirusTechnical5568 49m ago

My 7 month daughter got into one and it freaked me out. I was sure she was going to dessicate lol. After frantically doing an online search I was happy to read that it was non-toxic. I still had her drink more breastmilk just in case.

•

u/Boheed 46m ago

I'm gonna eat so many silica packets now

•

u/G3min1 33m ago

Now what about if a dog eats one?

•

u/Emergency-Food1739 30m ago

Kills dogs?

•

u/churrmander 29m ago

So I CAN put it in my salsa I got at an upscale Peruvian clothing store?

•

u/Impossible-Quail-711 26m ago

I take a medicine which is essentially this but ground up fine

•

u/AudioShepard 15m ago

If you haven’t had the pleasure of tasting a silica packet, let me assure you that you never want to.

•

u/coyote_den 10m ago

Sometimes there is a bitterant added to make sure anyone/anything that tastes it doesn’t like it.

•

u/AudioShepard 9m ago

I can confirm that it was indeed undesirable.

•

u/iAmRiight 9m ago

The blue color indicating ones are definitely toxic. I wouldn’t really trust the orange ones either.

•

u/bxxc 9m ago

I dumped them out on my tongue once. They stuck to my tongue and absorbed all the saliva and I had to scrape them off. It wasn't pleasant.

1

u/Smiletaint 3h ago

Yeah that shit will expand with moisture and you will suffocate and die. Ask me how I know? I literally did it and I’m dead now.

-2

u/Unique-Coffee5087 3h ago

Google AI summary:

Silica gel works through a physical process called adsorption, trapping water molecules inside millions of microscopic pores.

The Science of Adsorption

• High Surface Area: Silica gel is a porous, solid form of silicon dioxide (SiO₂). Just one gram of it contains an intricate network of tiny pores that provide a surface area of up to 800 square meters—roughly the size of two tennis courts.
• Surface Attraction: When humid air surrounds the granules, water vapor molecules are passively drawn to the internal surfaces of these pores and held in place by weak intermolecular forces known as van der Waals forces.

They can hold up to 40% of their weight in water, and do not swell. You can bake them in an oven or microwave to drive the water out. I did this, and weighed them over time. I was amazed at how much lighter they became.

•

u/bernpfenn 37m ago

no idea why you get downvoted