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TIL: The DO NOT EAT warnings on silica gel are about choking rather than poison (azpoison.com)

submitted 1 year ago by TragicNotCute@lemmy.world to c/todayilearned@lemmy.ml

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I always assumed since it was a desiccant it might dry up my insides and kill me, but it seems like that’s not the case.

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[–] Chetzemoka@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago

I mean, it can also dry up your insides, kinda.

I had a patient once who had a med that is dispensed as these giant tablets with one of those plastic cylinder style silica desiccant thingies in the bottle. One day he swallowed the cylinder instead of a tablet and didn't even realize it. Ended up in the ED a few days later with a badly bleeding stomach ulcer from where the silica cylinder had adhered itself to the side of his stomach because it was desiccating the mucous membrane there.

So choking isn't the only hazard. Probably just more common.