Comment by NooneAtAll3

5 days ago

even cyanide isn't cartoonish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6hOVhQQ9hI

substance itself is not what kills you - it's the dose

> substance itself is not what kills you - it's the dose

Doesn’t that apply to every single thing that exists?

  • Yes. IIRC Congress paid for a study in the early 20th century to try to nail a definition of the word "poison" by injecting mice with different quantities of bleach. The conclusion was that everything is a poison at the right dose. Most medicines are great at low doses, but then kill you when you take too much of them. Heck, even water is a poison.

  • The old toxicology proverb is: "The dose makes the poison"

    • I like to extend it to: "the portion makes the poison." Beyond getting the alliteration, it also includes food, which I think is important. A glass of water won't kill you, two gallons of water will. An ice cream cone once in a while is nothing; one every day will make the doctor's eyes go wide.

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