Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [toxicology]

The study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms.

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Are spiders unable to hurt humans, especially very small spiders?

In an episode of Peppa Pig, one of the characters says that spiders are very very small, and that they can’t hurt you. Broadcasters in Australia have avoided broadcasting the episode involved, because they’re worried that viewers will regard the…
Andrew Grimm
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Does a pear contain 600 times more formaldehyde than a vaccine?

There is a common pro-vaccination argument that attempts to equate the amount of formaldehyde injected into the body when receiving a vaccine, with the amount of formaldehyde ingested into the GI tract when eating a pear. Here is a classic…
Oddthinking
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Can venomous snakes be determined by these pupil, nostril and scale patterns?

This image was recently shared by an Australian Facebook friend: The source appears to be a Facebook post of a man from India with a staggering 380,000 shares from around the world! There are many different species of venomous snakes (and I…
Oddthinking
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Is very young lamb poisonous?

I spotted an article on BBC news (repeated on several other news aggregators) about a farmer who had had his lambs stolen. There was a very specific warning given: PSNI Chief Inspector Graham Dodds has warned abattoirs to be careful about…
Richard
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Would eating a packet of cigarettes be fatal?

World Education, a group that promote literacy, have a resource for understanding the risks of tobacco, which claims: Chemicals in cigarettes and cigarette smoke are known to cause not only cancer but also other serious health problems. Many of the…
caub
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How many almonds does it take to get cyanide poisoning?

I was at lunch today and the conversation turned to almonds and their cyanide content. One co-worker said almonds contain a lot of cyancide and the number of almonds that can kill you surprisingly low. My question is "how low"? They couldn't…
Coomie
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Is the Daddy Long Legs spider the world's most venomous?

The claim is the Daddy Long Legs (Pholcus phalangioides) spider is the most venomous spider in the world, but that its fangs are too small to be able to penetrate human skin. The wikipedia article calls it an urban myth and links through to some…
going
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Is canthaxanthin used in salmon farming toxic to human health?

Founder of Sea Shepherd and co-founder of Greenpeace, "Captain" Paul Watson (captain in what, I don't know) stated that Farmed Salmon is Poison 70% of salmon produced worldwide is farmed, That contains artificial dyes.farm raised salmon is not…
Chris Rogers
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Is wheat the cause of numerous, serious health problems?

This morning, I stumbled across a realfarmacy article which poses the question [Note: the linked page breaks in Chrome but worked in Firefox]: Why is there such a strong emphasis on the development of wheat products all over the world when there…
zashu
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Can defrosting vacuum-packed fish in its packaging cause botulism?

There are many warnings on the Internet about vacuum-sealed frozen fish thawed in its packaging potentially causing botulism: Why You Should Never Thaw Frozen Fish in Its Vacuum-Sealed Packaging There's a lot to love about individually wrapped…
lambshaanxy
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Do memory foam mattresses give off toxic fumes?

I recently purchased a memory foam (polyurethane) mattress and was looking online to see how long they take to "air out". They produce a strong odor for awhile after manufacture. However, instead of finding my answer I found seemingly endless…
John Rhoades
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Is non-stick cookware bad for your health?

Apparently Teflon (PTFE) will release toxic fumes when overheated. See this article for a lot of claims without references. You can also kill birds with it. The claim is that heating Teflon over its melting point of 500 Fahrenheit (260 °C) will…
w00t
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Can eating rhubarb kill you?

I've heard that rhubarb leaves are poisonous, and that you can even die from rhubarb poisoning. Is that true?
brian
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When washing-up, is it unhealthy to omit the rinsing stage?

Some people do their dishes and leave the suds on, letting it air-dry, or using a towel. Some rinse it off. I cannot understand the British habit of washing and rinsing dishes in the same dirty water, and drying them without washing off the soap…
Wouter
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Does drinking extra water "flush out the toxins" after a massage?

Felicia Day asked this on Google+: Is there any scientific basis for drinking extra water to "flush out the toxins" after a massage? and I am curious if someone here can answer this.
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