Would It Be Healthy To Eat The Periodic Table? (Non-Radioactive)

Gizmo j

Golden Member
Nov 9, 2013
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I take multivitamins+minerals, and was wondering if eating the periodic table would be healthy because they basically are minerals.
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,570
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Yeah. Lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury...

What could go wrong? They are all natural!

OP, short answer, YOU ARE AN IDIOT IF YOU DO THIS, and NO, I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH TO LET YOU DIE THAT WAY.

But, hey, if Darwin Awards are calling you... maybe this is your ticket to eternal internet greatness.
 
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sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
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Lucite is practically non toxic so yeah go ahead and swallow that block of Lucite.
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
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In all seriousness (weird for a Gizmo thread, to be sure), if you consume the elements in order of atomic number and in the form of more or less stable molecules, consume only stable isotopes, and don't over indulge, you could get down to Au without serious problems. Once you get to Th, things aren't so promising. If you have the beryllium sensitivity gene, you'll have problems almost immediately. If you're going for pure elemental forms, the Li will kill you before you get to Be.
 
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Paperdoc

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2006
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Another example of the super-simplistic concept: if it's natural, it must be safe, right? There are so MANY related questions to consider at the same time, like:

In what form? We almost never consume elements in their pure elemental form.

What dosage? Virtually EVERYTHING in this world is TOXIC in a high enough dose, or in the wrong form. Almost all things MAY be "harmless" in small enough doses. I say it that way because, as one of my profs said decades ago, you can NOT PROVE something is SAFE. You can only FAIL TO PROVE it does harm. Demanding proof of safety guarantees only that your demand will never be met.
 
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Torn Mind

Lifer
Nov 25, 2012
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I should have known it was a Gizmo thread by the title/topic. :rolleyes:
He hadn't been his usual self for his recent past threads. I mean, the music out of sync thread wasn't a bad subject, actually. Good to see him do something vintage.
 
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BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
65,602
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Another example of the super-simplistic concept: if it's natural, it must be safe, right? There are so MANY related questions to consider at the same time, like:

In what form? We almost never consume elements in their pure elemental form.

What dosage? Virtually EVERYTHING in this world is TOXIC in a high enough dose, or in the wrong form. Almost all things MAY be "harmless" in small enough doses. I say it that way because, as one of my profs said decades ago, you can NOT PROVE something is SAFE. You can only FAIL TO PROVE it does harm. Demanding proof of safety guarantees only that your demand will never be met.

Watch iut for that nasty dihydrogen monoxide...that stuff kills thousands of people every year!

 
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Roger Wilco

Diamond Member
Mar 20, 2017
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Eating one atom of each element should be fairly harmless, no?

Gizmo just needs to figure out how to isolate those atoms and then combine them into a microscopic multivitamin.
 
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