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Call for questions: POISONS (Patreon)

Published:
2025-08-25 22:46:36
Imported:
2026-06

Content

Now taking questions on poisons -- both environmental and homicidal. I'll be interviewing a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who studies toxicology and is ready to share everything she knows about asbestos, cyanide, lead, arsenic, pesticides, ricin, and other toxins. Drop your questions in the comments!

☠️ Deadline: Thursday, August 28 at noon PST ☠️

Comments

Cyntia B

Why aren't poison regulations more strict in North America? Poison meaning toxic food additives, crop pesticides, etc. What can the general public do about it?

RJ Doidge

How do different poisons appear on a toxicology report? Like, what makes you say “this was arsenic for sure” instead of cyanide or lead?

Maddy Julian

I’ve heard you can build up a tolerance to poisons if you microdose them enough like in the princess bride-flim flam?

Susan Lin

Given the small nature of a poison ring, did people actually keep poisons in them? What kinds would they use historically?

Zed Shirogane

Comparing each generation’s primary environmental toxins they had to deal with growing up, who has got it worse? I know that a lot of older folks had exposure to lead and pesticides, and the younger generation is dealing with plastic byproducts leeching onto food and water.

Erin Bagley

We're most natural poisons discovered by accident, observation, trial and error?

Faith Stemmler

In what culture or time period was it most common to murder by means of poison?

goatleaf

If a poison is defined by its dose, at what point does something stop being food or medicine and start being poison—and who gets to decide where that line is drawn?

Cyntia B

What are the sexiest uses of poison you have seen throughout history? Could be a monarch poisoning story or just a clever use of a poison.

Charlotte Parkinson

I live in a small English town that dates back to the 1100s. Unless properties have had major renovations, there is always signs of some asbestos. My house was built in the 1700s and what we had to remove was luckily minimal. Is there an "ok" level of asbestos for people to be around without it causing issues, or is it a slow creeper?

Neal Greenstein

How did someone find out that many toxins found in nature are good for medicine…..one example I can think of is Foxglove….its a biennial flowering plant that’s also called digitalis…..they use it to make some heart medications….I think….

Aubrey Nelson

How do poisons work in the body? How do they differ from allergic reactions?

Rae Moore

I’ve read there’s a long history of women with underground businesses of ending marriages via poison before women were allowed to initiate divorces lol? Tell me everything you know about that haha

Charlotte Parkinson

Thoughts on the classic Bell Biv DeVoe song, "Poison"? It's a banger.

Sethlkap

Boston area is full of nightshade, I think both bittersweet and deadly nightshade. Can you discuss this plant? Its relationship to tomatoes, whether I am right to rip it out everywhere I can because I am afraid of small children eating the pretty berries?

Kyhlykat

Can you ask about the poison gardens?

Chrysalis Ashton

What are the most common poisons used for nefarious reasons? The homicidal kind 😬 How have they changed throughout the millennia?

Christine Rohanna

How can one be interested in reading about poisons without ending up on a watch list?

Ali Vessels

At the apothecary museum in New Orleans I learned that poisons were put in special textured bottles to identify them. But why were we bottling and selling poisons in the first place??

Charlotte Parkinson

What's the oldest known use of poison? Was anyone taking people out in Ancient Egyptian times with a bit of cheeky poisoning?

Annie

Arsenic is used to treat some cancers; how did scientists establish a therapeutic dose for arsenic and other poisons used to treat cancer? Can you talk about poisons as they relate to chemotherapy?

AnitaS

What's the deal with stuff that you can eat some of it but a certain amount can kill you?

Annie

Also, what is the main purpose of poison control? Like, the phone number on the Mr. Yuck stickers? Is it mainly for tracking exposures, or for medical advice?

samwambam

Are we ever exposed to poisons on a day to day basis but not know we are? Like from our cleaning products and what not? How can we limit our exposure

Anastasia Press

How many of our ancestors have died to figure out what's poisonous and what's not, do you think?

Kelsey lore

I am curious about the history behind poisons! Do they have a favourite historical or mythological anecdote that involved poison?

Anastasia Press

What are some common things nowadays that you think will become notoriously poisonous? Like lead or asbestos in the past?

Nicky G

What the deal with lead toxicity impacting cognitive faculties? Leaded gas, lead paint, and how things have changed in recent generations?

Anastasia Press

Which animals are immune to which poisons? And why?

Kittens8myhomework

I'm obsessed with poison gardens. There's a famous one in the UK. Are there any other well known ones? How common is this practice around the world and what are some of the most well known civilizations to do this?

SoManyQuestions

Is there a typical timeline for something going from “cool use it in everything” to “whoa killing us all”? Thinking about things like asbestos, mercury, even radiation that had frequent everyday uses for what feels like a long time before we realized the poison nature. Is there a time period when if something hasn’t been discovered as a poison we can assume it’s safe?

Jenn Macgillivray

OMG is it Deborah Blum?? The Poisoner’s Handbook is one of my favourite books and I recently read the Poison Squad which made me so thankful for government regulation. (Surprise: people will literally kill you if it makes them money!) As for a question, I guess I’d like to know what she thinks is the current effect of poisons that were present in the environment 50-100 years ago? I often have to remind myself that Boomers are the way they are because they ate lead as kids and they can’t help being absolute dipshits. (Or at least one side of my family certainly did….)

Misha Ray

I recently breathed in aerosolized asbestos how bad is it going to get? Anything to do about this? Context: Ok so my house was built in the ‘50s and I’ve recently had some major plumbing issues. The plumbers dug down into my bathroom floor and fixed the issues…and then the restore company found asbestos in said floor from some ancient linoleum glue. A good week or two passed between unknowingly covering our bathroom and lungs in asbestos dust and remediation of the asbestos in the floor. Are my wife and I and our plumbers getting cancer like for sure now?? lol ☠️ I’d like to know what health issues to look out for. Thank youuuuu

Pseudonym Jones IV

The Alnwick Garden is one of the top places on my to visit list if I ever get back to the UK!

Rachael Lemont

Can we talk about how pharmacists used to sell poisons to color candy back in the day?! Crazy!!

Quincey Robisheaux

For reference purposes only, are there any long lasting poisons out there? 🧐

Between Dumplings

How right or wrong do the movies get it? Like when someone poisons a spouse with a bit of something everyday in their coffee. What's the most ridiculous scenario you've seen?

Kelly Klepfer

Alchemy healing vs poisoning? I mean how often does poisoning happen in the pursuit of health and wellness? Are there any current health and wellness suggestions that are probably not great ideas?

Celena Hsiung

Are "poisonous" and "toxic" the same thing? And if not what is the difference? Would substances like alcohol be considered poison? Or medicines that are helpful in the right dose but damaging or fatal in the wrong dose? Or carcinogens?

Kittens8myhomework

Me too! As a gardener I realize most things are toxic to humans/pets if ingested, but just depends on how toxic. Someone once told me, all plants and shrooms are edible, but some are only edible once. 😂

Between Dumplings

What happens to old buildings and the children that live in them? Do we still have issues with lead paint or are there newer ones that are more problematic?

Amber Dickerson

Are there any poisons that would surprise us?

Pseudonym Jones IV

Yew is such a lovely tree, but I hear 100 needles thereof is a fatal dose. I have also heard its toxicity is far overrated. Where does it actually stand in the ranking of things to not gnaw on in cemeteries??

Felix Lasselle

Riiiiight...Cuzco's poison. Is poison immunity/resistance possible like in the Princess Bride?

Rachael Lemont

Yes, like black licorice! And is it all black licorice flavored stuff, or what?!

Pseudonym Jones IV

Just what is it with everything in Australia being toxic?

Joanne V

What's up with the fad toxin cleanses? Do they work?

Celena Hsiung

What organism/natural substance is the most toxic? As in smallest lethal dose or a maybe a tiny critter that packs a big (poisonous) punch? Either toxic to humans or toxic to whatever it's meant to target

Ettegoom

Are microplastics in our bodies basically the reason everything is fucked now, like how lead pipes was what caused everyone in Rome to be messed up?

Ettegoom

Also, why do we have limits on things like cannabis but not alcohol, when alcohol is arguably much more toxic and why does no-one talk about how alcohol is a leading cause of cancer????

Lizzy Martinez

How did we come to discover that certain plants and animals are poisonous, like how did poison dart frogs get their name and reputation?

Ettegoom

I used to chew the paint off my white wooden bed when I was a kid because I liked the taste... was it lead paint and is that why I can't remember nouns any more when I am talking to people?

AnitaS

I don't know about tracking exposures but for sure you can call them with any medical concern about exposures of any kind. They’ll talk to you and take you to the next step whatever you may need. Including telling you to get the heck over to the ER. We have made great use of calling Poison Control. Most recently i was bit by a scorpion and was terrified. They guided me through how to treat it and called me back later to see how I was.

JawsThemeSwimming

Are any of the more famous poisons like ricin, arsenic, or cyanide able to be used in actual medicine or are they strictly use for poison? I know that venoms have their uses so I thought maybe that could apply to some of the more strictly deadly poisons

e-rennebee

listener since 2020 but FTQA: how is it that we don’t know about the health impacts of something like asbestos until it’s like mass produced and used in everything and then becomes a problem??? like shouldn’t we know about these things before they become so prevalent??

Between Dumplings

Is air pollution considered poison? We live in Chinatown and have documented health consequences from the two highways run through our neighborhood for "urban renewal" ease of commuting for our white suburban neighbors. During Covid when everyone stopped driving anywhere I walked outside and the air tasted sweet. First and last time, I literally thought I had forgotten to brush teeth but wait, I did not have candy for breakfas--- Boston College did this study which showed huge disparities in these impacts on our babies. https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/bcnews/science-tech-and-health/earth-environment-and-sustainability/massachusetts-air-pollution-deadly-toll.html Fossil fuels no bueno.

Sarah king

Is there always an antidote?? Like yin to yang? I feel like you hear this a lot in fantasies that you can’t create a poison without there also being an antidote

Ettegoom

For rats... and husbands! But actually - I really want to know, is there ANY undetectable poisons now? Or do they have good tests for working out what you used - asking for a friend, who doesn't plan on using this knowledge beyond genuine interest

ValBeListening

Is venom considered poison? Currently soothing a wasp sting for the first time and I am so surprised by the sting that is still red, inflamed, and painful two days later. I also got stung by a stingray a few years ago on my foot and I low-key feel like I have nerve damage. What's up with venom ?!

A Baker

Is posion only defined by the dose? I was thinking about foxglove that is a cardiac medication until it tips to a posion. Also what is your favorite/ the prettiest flower that happened to be poison?

e-rennebee

listener since 2020 but FTQA: can you speak to the fact that women murderers’ weapon of choice has historically been poison?? what’s the significance of women in the history and current state of what i’m gonna call the “poison industry”?

Milla Arklay

How do toxicology reports work? Do they outline specific poison levels or do they measure other indicators that someone has been poisoned?

Between Dumplings

Like nitroglycerin that makes things go BOOM but also stops angina when a teeny bit is dissolved under the tongue. Wild.

Charlotte Wallis

At what point is a substance considered a poison? I know dosage is key to a lot of things being potentially detrimental to the (human) body, but you wouldn't consider water poisonous just because it can be deadly if you drink a huge amount in a short timeframe. Also, do you have a favourite poison?

Sydonie S.

With respect to pesticides, are we (scientists, policy makers, toxicologists) headed in a better/good direction? DDT and others were terrible but we've come a long way since then but how good are we doing? (As a chemist who thinks a lot about my impact on everything, very excited about this one!)

Bennett Vanderbosch

Can you microdose yourself with poison to become immune to it, like we see in movies and other media?

Bennett Vanderbosch

Is a poison always objectively bad for you, or is there such a thing as a good poison?

Brenna Hull

Is Iocane powder from the princess bride based on anything in real life? A tasteless, odorless poison that causes someone to keel over dead mid-maniacal laugh?

Brenna Hull

How does detox work? Can I actually purge all the toxins and poisons from my body by putting sticky pads on my feet when I sleep?

Brenna Hull

How do you feel about the rise of aqua tofana in pop culture? I’ve seen tshirts, mugs, sticker, and heard it talked about on multiple podcasts

Nicole Robb

What kind of poison was the poison? The poison for Kuzco, the poison chosen especially to kill Kuzco, Kuzco's poison…. But turned him into a llama instead.

Keerat Singh

How can a person be confident that the spaces they spend time in (home, work, etc.) don’t have environmental toxins?

Hannah Johnson

Alie typically asks something like this anyway, but I'm curious to hear about depictions of poisoning in fiction that get it particularly right or particularly wrong!

Talia Dunyak

How many people die of poison a year? And do more people die now of poison than in like 1300?

Misty Bentz

What is the estimated percentage of women who poisoned their husbands (and got away with it) before toxicology and forensics caught up?

Figment

are there some poisons that you actually can build up immunity to? beside iocaine powder?

Kelly Walker

What is the most commonly available poison?

Benjamin Solotaire

FTQ. Are asbestos panels safe when painted over? What has to happen to make exposure to asbestos dangerous

Rachel Guthrie

My grandma’s antique dishes definitely have lead paint and I ate off of them my whole childhood. How long do you have to eat off of lead painted dishes before it can make you sick?

Figment

does poison ONLY have a negative connotation?

Amy

Same question 🙂

Rachel Guthrie

Does alcohol, when consumed by humans, act similarly in the body to other poisons?

Jennifer Grogan

What’s up with apricot pits and aloe vera? I was always told as a kid (80s-90s) that both were poisonous and should never be eaten, but more recently I’ve seen both as faddish foods, and aloe seems to be regularly eaten in Asian communities. Different varieties, dose thing, or is my mom just even more paranoid than I thought? I’m still never eating apricot pits, but I look at the aloe at Boba tea places sometimes and feel like I’ve been fooled into thinking something tasty might kill me.

Derek Peloquin

Curious what their thoughts are on "forever chemicals" like PFAS and things that more and more seem unavoidable no matter what we do.

jason freer

Is there anything that we commonly injest that could be classified as a poison?

Ashley Dewing

What's the deal with the poison lipstick trope in movies? Wouldn't the kisser also be affected by it, not just the kisser?

Rachel Guthrie

Do different poisons target different parts of the body? How does that work?

Derek Peloquin

I would also be very interested to hear about highly politicized poisonings (like with Novichok years ago) and if there are other political actors besides Russia who would have poison traced back to them as a signature technique.

Atlas They-Them

From my mum (but I wanna know too): if one were to find themselves in unbearable living conditions — imminent nuclear war, confinement with no hope of escape, etc. — what is the most accessible, painless, failsafe poison to self-adminster for certain death? (We don't want to suffer in our final moments.) On a related note, are there actual historical accounts of spies (or others) having false teeth filled with poison in case of capture, or is that just flim-flam?

James Orsatti

Are there any poisons that have been mythologized,like belladonna or wolfsbane,that still hold sway in public imagination despite limited real-world lethality?

Josh

How do you feel about the song Poison by Bell Biv DeVoe?

Allison D

Is the poison actually in the dose? Can you expand on that saying?

Anthony Richards

What's one of the oldest known instances of poison used in homicide

Josh

Were there any poisons in history that wasn’t actually poison but was seen as such because of something else causing the reaction? For example, tomatoes and pewter plates.

ernesto meneses

First time Question : Are there any good Poisons ? Helpful? To us?

a-dongle's-dongle

Is buying organic worth the money? I've been trained by college professors to believe that non-organic food is poisonous but is all a sham?

Miranda Ramirez

Growing up, we were taught to induce vomiting if someone ingested something poisonous. But now, I've heard not to. What should you do if you somehow do accidentally ingest some? Other than call poison control, of course

g0ose0nTheLo0se

Why are some things poisonous to dogs/cats that aren’t to humans? And are there any things poisonous to humans that aren’t to dogs/cats?

ScienceInTheArt

Our house is about 100 yards from the interstate and I've often wondered if there are potential health consequences due to nearby release of tire wear microparticulate and combustion products. The state air quality monitors nearby don't show anything of concern. Thanks.

Atlas They-Them

Like the risk of paralytic shellfish poisoning from eating lobster with even trace amounts of tomalley because of blue-green algae?!? (Pretty sure I had a mild case of this from a takeout lobster roll during the pandemic...)

Atlas They-Them

Also bee venom combating breast cancer cells??

Hailey Bate

so, I'm an amateur writer, and i'm workshopping a villain that uses naturally-occurring poisons to kill. Are there any poisons, toxins or poisoning methods that you think are perhaps overlooked or underrated in books/TV/movies???

Jennifer Lemon

How accurate are the LD50s that we have considering they are probably not tested on humans?

ChaChaChar

FTQ- What do you wish more people knew about microplastics toxicity to humans?

Chris Curious

What's the deal with arsenic green?

Sabrina Model

FTQ 🖤🖤🖤 Can we talk aqua tofana and abortifacients? Asking for a friend. Actually asking because I want to add two bouquets of flowers and herbs to my tattoo collection and looking for inspiration for the prettiest, deadliest, most useful bouquets!

Jenna Congdon

Are there any substances that are considered harmless now, but you believe will be considered poisons in the future? We once filled houses with asbestos and lead paint. Is there anything we use nowadays that you think will be looked back on in a similar light?

Sabrina Model

Isn’t arsenic in this category?

Audrey Hudak

How is Poison Control organized? What happenes when someone calls poison control? Do hospitals stock antidotes to poisons?

Tim McCollow

Lawn/garden pesticides: do they build up in the soil? Grass roots? If your neighbor gets their yard sprayed, is my dog truly ok walking on that grass 24 hrs later?? PS: Allie, you rock hard.

Audrey Hudak

How common is lead paint and how often does lead paint poison children?

Jenny Leigh

FTQA. My mom passed in 2017 from mesothelioma. When she was diagnosed, we, her loved ones, were all extremely shocked and disturbed to learn how prevelant it still is in some manufacturing processes and products. Is asbestos still as widely used in manufacturing as it once was, regardless of it being horribly poisonous to humans (perhaps other creatures, too)? Also, do humans have varying tollernace for exposure to poisons, such as asbestos? For example, what may be enough of something to kill one person might not do much harm to another? Finally, thanks for all the incredible knowledge shared on Ologies! I find myself telling everyone who'll listen, to check it out!

Marla J

How did early people know if something was poisonous? Trial and error? How do animals know what is poison and what isn't?

Patrick Duffy

Why is poison considered a woman's weapon? What is the strangest poisoning someone has died from? Were there any other instances of things like aqua tofana popping up for organized widespread poisoning? How do different cultures view poison?

Audrey Hudak

Can someone really build immunity to poison? In the "Battle of Wits" scene in Princess Bride, Westley poisons both glasses of wine, but claims to have built up an immunity over years of gradual, repeated poison exposure, allowing him to survive after Vizzini drinks from one of the goblets and dies.

Allison Belolan

Is it possible to build immunity to poisons, like how Wesley did with Iocane powder in the Princess Bride?

Lisa Gorman

Does the widespread use of insecticides/herbicides/etc. on lawns increase levels of these poisons the water supply, or is that something that water filtration is able to remove? What about for people who have well water? Is this potentially dangerous for humans as well as the local insect and plant populations? Also, is it actually safe for kids/dogs/etc. to play on treated yards?

Jack

During prohibition in the US, the Department of the Treasury and the Prohibition Bureau purposefully poisoned industrial alcohol with Methanol fully aware it would be sold as illegal beverages and poison people. Is it possible agencies are following a similar methodology with fentanyl laced drugs today?

Marla J

There are a lot of old sayings, such as "Mad as a Hatter" that came from certain industries using mercury and other poisons. Do you have any favorites? And speaking of mercury... I live in the California gold country. There are still stories of mercury in some of the water systems back from the 1850's. Can you address this and other mining poisons that linger on for years. How much of this is real and how much is myth?

Empress of Smallwood

Do allergies fall into the realm of toxicology? If so, how have allergies changed over time? I teach elementary school and we used to have so many kids allergic to peanuts, strawberries, and amoxacillin and this school year there is only one student in my class with known allergies and it's not for any of these things. Why are they changing?

Clur 🌱

Is it true that people used to cultivate "poison gardens" of toxic plants? What's the story with those?

Lisa Gorman

I'm not sure if there is anything like this in human medicine, but I'm in vet med and the drug used to treat heartworm disease in dogs (melarsomine) is an arsenic-based drug.

Empress of Smallwood

How do we arrive at acceptable levels of a certain toxin in our environment or in our food? Is it really that none of the pesticide and herbicide exposure is good and they just lie to us to make money or is there actually a safe level for certain things?

haille ragusa

Poison with the worst most excruciating death !

Ann Eby

So many ways in the old days that people poisoned themselves unknowingly. What am I doing that’s poisoning me?

meep

Can you build immunity to any poison over time by microdosing and gradually increasing the dose? Classic trope in fantasy and scifi stories and I've always wondered if there was any truth to it.

DeeDeeNoodle

Can we please talk about flim glam with eating 'nightshades' like eggplant, seed oil, etc? Sick of misinformation!

DeeDeeNoodle

Would love to hear talk about Alnwick Garden!

Yuri

Artificial fragrances contain many chemicals within them that are linked to serious health issues like hormone disruption, cancer, birth defects, neurological disorders and respiratory problems. They have compounds that act as neurotoxins. They won’t outright kill you, but they will slowly poison you. Yet each year synthetic fragrances are in more and more places. The science is there, like it was for smoking, but society isn’t changing. It took forever to get smoking removed from airports, restaurants, offices, even airplanes. There was candy cigarettes for kids, and cartoons about cigarettes to target kids. I remember the congressional hearings in the 90s about smoking and second hand smoke - the tobacco industry had so many scientists saying it was safe, but the tide was turning. Slowly, places like doctors offices banned it, and it grew, especially once warning labels were finally required. Why do humans keep doing this to ourselves - embracing a toxic substance, refusing to believe ill of it, basing huge economies on it, even though the science is clear. It takes generations growing up knowing it’s bad to change society. The story of lead in paint and mercury in clothes is similar in some ways.

protect_trans_lives

For some poisons/toxins that don’t have an antidote (like from certain animals) do you just die if you get poisoned? Or is there supportive care? What would that be?

Anna Warren

This one is exciting and I'm hoping it is Deborah Blum. Are there any ingestible poisons that kill almost instantaneously? I'm wondering how quickly the suicide pills of CIA/Spy movie fame work. Is that real- or just movie mythology?

Empress of Smallwood

Will ergot poisoning really make me think that all of the socially marginalized women in my community are witches? Seriously though, was ergot poisoning a contributing factor in the Salem Witch Trials?

Yuri

I can’t tell from your comment if you’ve already done this, but If you are in the USA (or anywhere, but I only have passing familiarity with USA), I’d strongly suggest you report it and follow up with legal counsel. Asbestos needs to be remediated properly, and there may still be dust in your house, including in filters of your hvac system. I’d suggest contacting L&I, OSHA, and the health department, at the very least. They should be able to also direct you to health care specialists or you can look for them on your own - you want to get this documented before any possible future problems arise to prove the timeline. The plumbers should have insurance to cover remediation, but no matter what they need to be reported because their workers were also exposed and don’t seem to be trained properly. I really hope it ends up being nothing, but I wanted to comment just in case. I wish you the best!

Yuri

Look up the health impacts of artificial fragrances 😬

Coreen “the climate communicator” Weilminster

Is humankind a poison on our planet? Also interested in a new field of study called “collapsology” which is an exploration of the risks of collapse of industrial civilization. “It is concerned with the general collapse of societies induced by climate change, as well as scarcity of resources, vast extinctions, and natural disasters. “ I promise I’m not a doomy-gloomy soul and I’m even a little afraid of this answer. But as a realist who is tethered to reality by wonder, I can’t help but wonder about the reality of humankind as a poison on our beautiful, life-giving solitary water planet.

Kayla

I’d love to k ow more about aqua tofana. I’ve heard the recipe is lost, but if so, how do we know it wasn’t just another common poison given a fun name?

Kayla

Is black mold (and other environmental toxins) considered a poison, or does poisoning specifically need to be ingested through food and drink?

Kayla

What’s your favorite poison or fun fact about poison? Drop something fun for us to trot out to unsuspecting friends and family!

Atlas They-Them

Seconding this!! Why do some people enjoy, even insist on, using scented shit even after they've been informed that it's (a) toxic and (b) triggering acute health problems for people around them? I've never been formally diagnosed, but I meet the criteria for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and it's incredibly disabling; I've had to move multiple times after landlords/building managers began using scented cleaning products, wear a filtration mask around perfumed customers at my retail job (pre-covid), etc. — and they all acted like I was the problem. It wasn't always like this, but I'm not sure how much is unique to me (I got teargassed at really close range in the early 2010s) and how much is cultural (e.g. the rise of dryer sheets, plug-in air-perfumers, etc).

Milan Ilnyckyj

We do humans (and other animals) love self-poisoning so much? So much of what we cultivate, seek, and crave (caffeine, nicotine, opiates, even capsaicin and other spices) is put there by plants to try to keep us from eating them

Andri Bekker

Is it true that you can build like a tolerance to poisons ?

Lazer Introlegator

What is the difference between toxic, poisonous, and venomous? Are they synonyms? Do their definitions overlap?

burke Stansbury

Question from Lucas Hanson (my son): What's the connection between poisons and disability? How do toxins contribute to various disabilities in humans?

Ara Victor

how many types of poison are there? and whats the origin of the phrase "the dose makes the poison"?

Erin Dewberry

Is there a poison that could turn you into a llama?

Atlas They-Them

There's lots of truth to be found in stories like that, unfortunately; seconding this question, and adding that it would be great to hear the Ologist speak to the dynamics of environmental racism, wherein racialized communities are made to disproportionately endure the effects of industrial toxicity. For example: the Indigenous community of Grassy Narrows in (so-called) Ontario, Canada, has been dealing with residual mercury contamination for over 50 years, poisoning their water and staple food supply (fish) in "one of the worst cases of environmental poisoning in Canadian history" according to The Lancet Planetary Health journal.

Catherine Jameson

"The dose makes the poison" please comment!! Is this always true? Sometimes?

Atlas They-Them

Related: Does activated charcoal actually help in case of poison, and if so, what's the best way to administer?

Ranger France

Of all the -cides, rodenticide is hitting our raptor population hard here. Is there any way to treat them for it? The nature preserve is in the center of a huge metroplex so getting the residents to stop using it isn't a quick and easy feat.

Atlas They-Them

Somewhat related... how risky are tattoo inks in terms of possible toxicity? There doesn't seem to be any kind of regulation for what goes into them, which is the primary reason why I've stuck to gray-scale so far, given the prevalence of vivid colours containing heavy metals in other media (e.g. oil paints).

Atlas They-Them

Echoing this!! Is the dirty dozen of fruits and veggies just flim-flam to sell pricier produce?

Kellie Due

How effective is charcoal at diluting poison? What kinds does it work with?

PlanetSci_Lorraine

In the modern world, it’s very difficult to avoid pollution, contamination (like recalls bc of like. Literal cesium in shrimp), forever chemicals, etc. how do we decide how many poisons we are willing to accept in our environments? What does the future look like if individuals may not have a lot of control over the poisons they are exposed to? Also, I feel like sometimes researching what’s bad for you leads down these misinformation rabbit holes with conspiracy theories and such. Why is that? How do you identify what is misinformation online about environmental poisons and such?

Quinn West

What is the difference between a toxin and a poison?

Ranger France

Iocane powder from Australia. Though it's sadly (or maybe luckily) fictional, could a tolerance actually be built up for something that deadly? This may be niche so for those who don't know or don't remember, iocane powder is the "colorless, odorless, tasteless" poison from the Princess Bride

Samuel Schaar

What's the most common way people accidentally poison themselves? Do you have any favorite fictional depictions of poisoning? What is the fastest acting poison known and how fast is it? What are some of the most common symptoms of poisoning?

Quinn West

Thoughts on glass bottles as Halloween decor that reads “poison”? Are those based more on potion bottles, or was labeling different for poison at one time?

Ranger France

Other than the known alcohol and drugs, are there any other toxins that we commonly consume in small doses unknowingly?

Ranger France

PUH-LEASE talk about the revolution and gender movement impact of aqua tofana

Lunarcrumpet

What was actually in Aqua Tofana and could people be saved using modern day medicine if poisoned using spouse killing concoctions today?

Ranger France

Poison ivy and it's urushiol oil. Toxin or allergy? Anecdotally I have heard that not everyone may have a reaction to it, but the more times you come in contact with it then the more likely you are to react to it in the future. As someone who works off trails, any way I could build an immunity to it?

Ranger France

Mithradates VI supposedly kept a recipe of 50+ ingredients as a universal antidote. Is there any chance that mashing together dozens of herbs, resins, and minerals could accidentally work against some poisons back then, or would it just taste like really expensive herby trail mix?

Agegamon

What are some of the biggest differences between what is poisonous or not between different animal species (including us human animals)? For example, my cat, who that thinks everything dropped on the floor is food, tried to cronch on an ibuprofen tablet (thankfully he didn't ingest any and is fine). We still called animal poison control and went through the whole process... and also now take all pills with the door to the bathroom closed.

Ranger France

If archaeologists ever dug up Mithradates VI, what chemical traces in his bones or teeth might tell a toxicologist if he really was dosing himself with poisons all his life?

Ranger France

Rumor has it that Mithradates spent all his life building up a tolerance to all poisons, then tried to off himself with poison and failed, leading him to then be stabbed in order to leave the earth.

Storm

could some of the cosmetic/artificial additives in food (to make it last longer or colours that make food look better etc) be considered poison??? i’ve read some questionable stuff about food additives

Storm

how is the antidote for poisons found??

Agegamon

Poison-coated weapons: how realistic are they? Fiction writing of all sorts seems to love them. Were these real or mostly medievil flimflam?

mish the fish

talk about the phrase "the dose makes the poison"

Steven Hansen

I have heard that snake venom kills by coagulating its victim's blood. Is this how poisons work as well, or do they have a different effect?

Amanderlander

What's with cyanide and spies and fake teeth? Is that rooted in truth or flim flam? Also do you really get enough cyanide from cherry pits to be deadly?

Andrew McVay

The Battle of Wits… If the poison used in the battle of wits was real could you develop a resistance to “iocane powder”? How about poisons in general, can we build resistance to them? What’s a good example?

Meaghan Ratcliffe

does a substance have to be toxic at small doses to be considered “poisonous”? like you can die from eating too much salt but we don’t consider salt to be poison 🤷🏻‍♀️

Chuck Meriam

What basis is used to test and determine a poison's LD50?

Lars Watts

Can poisons get into your blood stream by going through your skin when you touch something?

Andrew McVay

Yes! Poison Squad! And Harvey Washington Wiley and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 👍

Andrew McVay

Yes! Poison Squad and Harvey Washington Wiley

Erin White

Could we please hear about the victorians poisoning themselves by being obsessed with bright colors? Toxic wallpaper, arsenic fabrics, nightshade eyedrops and all that?

Ash

What is the difference between poisons and medicine and how long have we been using them? How do we find new poisons ( is it simply accidental or are there markers/obvious signs that something is poisonous like mushrooms or plants, etc) ?

Mikaela

Is it true that some vapes and e-cigarettes have lead in them? If so, what’s the possibility of the current generations suffering from lead poisoning as a result?

Felipe Jimenez

Could you please explain how Arsenic poisoning slows down body decomposition ???

Felipe Jimenez

Also would be interesting to dive in how beauty and fashion standard have been associated with the use of toxic substances (lead creams for brighter skin, mercury poisoning due to für hats, etc)

Emily Hurd

My mom is obsessed with the idea that mold is everywhere and it’s not a healthy obsession either. Should I also be as concerned or is she just being over sensitive? Is mold even considered a poison?

Lauren Seibert

Are there any poisons that taste sweet or even good?

Mikaela

Are poisons related to drugs? Like would scopolamine, shrooms, DMT, etc also be considered poisonous? Do poisons need to be (eventually) lethal?

Zo3_3

SWEET POTATOE MOLD - how poisonous is it and how bad is it that I've been eating it for 2 weeks (I didn't realise that it was properly poisonous - it tasted like roses so I though it was okay!). Now my bods going through it. Thank you kindly :)

RestingLaurelFace

Have you heard of the Merry Widow "Health" Mine, and what are your thoughts on people going there to purposefully sit in a bunch of Radon in the name of health?

Howard Seltman

Can you find out why the German word for poison is "gift

Alli B

Can rodenticides break down in the environment?

Alli B

What decade was this?

Alli B

🤣

Alli B

Please share how mongooses (mongeese?) and honey badgers are immune to snake venom? When did these immunities arise? What other animals have developed immunity to venom?

Alli B

Well that got dark.

Alli B

Can historians determine if people were murdered by poisoning versus some sort of natural cause? Do poisons remain in the… remains (heh) after death? How long? Relatedly, is there physical evidence of Cleopatra actually having been poisoned by an asp?

Alli B

Would you consider the intended effects of recreational drugs a side effect of poisoning (as in the dose makes the poison)? Do you have a new spin on addiction associated it relates to poisonous substances?

Alli B

Food tasters throughout history. How often did they actually save the life of the person they tasted for?

Alli B

Organic foods don’t use specific persistent pesticides, but they allow for other types of pesticides. What do you think about organic versus conventional, and where do you buy your produce and groceries?

Alli B

I work in food safety and find the toxin-producing bacteria terrifying (and fascinating)! How were they discovered, and how likely is it that a bacteria might evolve to become a new toxin-producer?

Bronte

The recent beef Wellington death cup mushroom murders in Australia must be discussed. The whole country has been absolutely obsessed with following the trials. Unsure if it’s made international news (doubt it). No questions, but I feel this episode wouldn’t be complete without it.

Britt Andrews

In ye olden days (or even more recently), how long did it take to work out that A Thing was poisonous? Was it just "Caveman Mike died after eating that berry... okay who wants to take one for the team and check if it was the berry's fault?"

Andy Pepper

What’s the craziest modern-era story they’ve ever heard of someone poisoning another person?

Andy Pepper

Can they discuss how the worst thing we know (yet) about GMO crops is more that many are just engineered to be drenched in pesticides (“Roundup-Ready”)?

Sammy

What's the difference between a poison, toxin and venom? And what are most deadly/treatable?

Mindy Corcoran Turley

Mold. Seems to be one of those toxins that people are judgy about. My daughter had P.A.N.D.A.S. and during that time her very knowledgeable doctor told me that excessive mold is known to cause some people to have a recurrence of this kind of brain auto-immune inflammation. I've found that saying you're concerned about this and that you want to have your house tested elicits one of two responses: people either tell you not to worry about it, that it's not a big deal, "mold is everywhere" or they give you that "oh, you're one of those crazies falling for charlatans trying charge you for phony tests for non-existent issues" look. How dangerous is excess mold in your house and is it only black mold to worry about?

Zyz

We all know the dose makes the poison... but are there any very common things that are surprisingly toxic?

Meg Shooter

Can poisons/toxins etc be removed from water? If not what is the environmental consequence of us adding and adding poisons? Do they bioaccumulate? Also I second the mushroom murder discussion request!

Ted Vician

The trial and verdict made the news in the USA, at least.

Leila Laco

I've been following the trial updates in the printed weekend newspapers my household in the UK get, so yes it has made it worldwide

Leila Laco

Which makes me want to ask, what is the difference or overlap between addictive substances and poisons? Could anything that can cause addiction be considered poisonous due to the potential for long-term harm?

Jenn Macgillivray

My relatives were eating lead in the 50s but it was a big issue for a while. There’s a theory that there was an abundance of serial killers in the 70s because of the leaded gasoline smog affecting peoples’ brains!

Sonjabird

Is there a real-world example of iocaine powder (of Princess Bride fame)?

Mr. Weevil

what’s the deal with lead? how does it impact people and why is it so dangerous?

Adam Foote

Is a poison always an atom or molecule? Can you have compound poisons like Smilex in the Tim Burton Batman movie? Also, can a living thing (like a Staph infection) be considered a poison?

Karin Dicker

Made it to the Republic of Ireland!

Julia Reichelt

What are the effects of hydrogen cyanide when consuming uncooked linseed and how much of is safe to consume? Can you accidentally eat too much (like in a raw granola or muesli) for linseed to be poisonous?

Julia Reichelt

Are certain people, based on e.g. genetics, blood type or any other physiological factor more susceptible to getting poisoned by a substance than others? Are some people immune to common poisons, and if so, why?

Julia Reichelt

If such a generalisation is possible: What are the antidotes one should know about and maybe keep at home to the most common poisons one might be exposed to?

glittertornado

Writer here! How did people test for poisons/ know someone was poisoned, before modern tests? What were the first type of tests? And how well did they work? When they did tests did they test the person who was poisoned, or like the food that was poisoned? Please and thank you!

Christina Johnson

This!!! I definitely need to hear more about Caveman Mike...and how he and his buddies figured out if it was safe to eat things! Also a request for more anthropology episodes!

Britt Andrews

As someone with ADHD who never connects two things in my head (I used a nose spray that gave me awful headaches for weeks until I worked out it was causing the damn headaches), I'm always so intrigued by how this stuff was figured out back before we could test it/just already knew it was poisonous! Also yes to anthro eps!

Meg Saluga

Maybe this has been asked already, and I know it’s super basic, but what exactly happens to the body when someone is poisoned? I want the play by play. Also, antidotes…same question.

Jill Johnson

Are you familiar with the Flavia de Luce series of books by Alan Bradley? She's an 11 year old genius with a keen interest in poisons, chemistry and solving murders. I'm just wondering how accurate the content is to actual poisons. Seems legit.

Emily Akin

What’s the most unexpected animal that makes its own poison?

Ted Vician

What do we know about the Russian government’s development of poisons for assassination, such as was used against Sergei and Yulia Skripal in the UK?

Julia Hutton

Can you talk about the Mr. Yuck sticker? What is his lore?

Julia Hutton

Also, I love collecting and repurposing vintage kitchenwares like plates and crocks, but I'm always scared about their lead content leaching into my food. Is this a legit fear? How can I test my treasures for poisons?

Adam Weaver

I live right next to DuPont, how screwed am I?

Kristin

Why can't dogs eat chocolate? What's going on that makes mammals have different abilities to metabolize things?

Susan Singley

And raisins? They can eat grapes but not raisins? Weird

Aeriel Belk

How did we learn what is poison and what isn't? Did we seriously just watch people die after eating things and writing down what they had until we knew? Was it watching what foods animals avoided?

Aeriel Belk

Is there a general sign a plant is poisonous and I should avoid it? Like if I get lost in the woods and need to forage to survive, what is the rule of thumb?

Aeriel Belk

Was Locusta actually a poisoner?

Susan Singley

Ok, so ... Fugu. Super toxic fish, but not the whole fish, just parts of the fish. What I want to know, is who figured out what parts of the deadly, lethal pufferfish are not lethal to eat and why? I mean, there are other fish in the sea, surely

Aeriel Belk

If you needed to...accidentally...get rid of someone, what poison would you use (totally hypothetically...)

Teale Vee

You can grow ricin on your own, it’s a beautiful vine. Like the lady I bought my house from whose husband just up and died. Is it true that women choose poison as a preferred murder method?

Aeriel Belk

Sorry, I have one million questions. This one is more of a fun fact...did you know that cyanide will bind to the myoglobin in muscle and make it look red and unspoiled forever? In the times of The Jungle that fact was taken advantage of, unfortunately. To be clear, its illegal now!!

Susan Singley

Also, also there are many plants that are killers to eat. But not if you boil them three times, tossing the cooking water each time. Not deadly if you pee on them and then boil them. Not deadly if you eat them with specific other foods. How in the world did we figure out how to just go ahead and eat something that killed the guys ahead of us in line because we heated it to boiling first...but maybe that doesn't change anything at all?

Susan Singley

Also, also, also Apple seeds have cyanide, but not enough to hurt us individually. But, if we collect a whole bunch and do science, boom, poison. How are we even alive as a species at this point?

Pretty Bird

Let's talk emulsifiers. I have heard a lot of dark tales of these additives and wonder about their toxicity, the known risks, and why the heck no one seems to care...

ariel.vanzandt

What actually makes something poisonous? Water poisoning is real, but I don't consider water "poison". Does it all come down to the dose makes the poison?

ariel.vanzandt

I love the story of Aqua Tofana. Are there other similar stories you think are fascinating?

ariel.vanzandt

And the modern use of botulinum toxin

Nancy Ax

Toxic Green Books!

Matt Hirschl

What the heck was the world thinking when we used to use lead paint? How was it possible we did not know it was toxic?

Bala Ganeshan

What is the scientific difference between poisons, venoms and toxins? Frequently, They seem to be used interchangeably in mainstream discussions.

Nana From Canada

How hard is it to distill poison out of garden plants like Monkshood, Foxglove or Castor Beans?

Stephanie Rosso

Absolutely interested in vape contents (to the extent they are even regulated) and the toxicity. Curious what your opinion is about whether vapes are safer than cigarettes.

Stephanie Rosso

Is it possible to build up a tolerance to poison? It sounds like people can become tolerant of venoms (like snake charmers) but does this apply to other poisons or do they all just build up and eventually cause serious harm or death? Or is the venom tolerance a myth?

Austin Johnson

How realistic is it to get away with murder by using ricin? Does it really take a week for it to kill? And if so do M.E.’s check for that regularly in autopsies?

Misha Ray

I really appreciate your advice, thanks so much

Mr. Pulley

I'm sure they shouldn't eat grapes too

Ja Jo: Art & Craft

If the dose makes the poison, is there anything that we can have unlimited amounts of?

Ja Jo: Art & Craft

How does gardening affect the toxicity/chemical composition of soil and how does it affect the plants and compost?

Mr. Pulley

Was there any any scientific basis in the use of BEZORS as poison remedies? And why did humans think swallowing goat hair balls would work?

Jesse Masci

Is it a myth that you can gain immunity to certain poisons through titration or eating tiny amounts regularly? (Like you hear of kings attempting to do in history or mythology – I can't remember who).

Jesse Masci

We are surrounded by off-gassing materials like paints, wood stains, perfumes, cleaners, etc. Are any of the gasses such as volatile organic compounds in our day-to-day lives poisonous to us? Is smoke considered poisonous?

Susan Singley

Poison ivy, why does it hate me and has anyone used it for nefarious purposes?

Kait

Can you speak to evolution and how toxins attract or repel humans? I’m thinking of how I was told lead tastes good??

Kait

Does the ologist have any fun on theme tattoos?? Poisonous botanical sleeve? Mr Yuck sticker tat? Seems like a lot of opportunities!

Kait

Are there any examples of corporations, military leaders, mining companies, manufacturers etc that were held accountable for pollution that poisoned either workers or nearby residents? Like a model that might be replicated in the future? Thanks

Darren Bush

Why can the Armed Forces routinely expose their member to horrible shit and they say "Oh well, sorry about Agent Orange and burn pits." Can they be sued for reparations?

Tracy Woodard

I used to work with an ex-drug dealer who claimed he could reverse heroin overdoses with an intravenous dose of salt water and milk that acted as an emergency saline solution, any truth to that?

Keely Chavez

Kirtland Air Force Base has significant underground chemical contamination from a large, decades-long jet fuel leak containing the carcinogen ethylene dibromide (EDB) and other toxic substances that have migrated into the local aquifer and threatened the city of Albuquerque's drinking water supply... you can see large areas on post with lots and lots of dead trees. But the water supply is the same... so...

Arami Farias

Why is it that food going bad makes it more dangerous but poison going bad makes it less dangerous?

Keely Chavez

ba-dum-tss (love it & great question)

Keely Chavez

And surprisingly, at least for me, most dogs. I had one bitten by a rattle snake once and the vet laughed at my tears and assured me he'd never lost a dog to a snake bite. He said dogs are much more in danger of the subsequent risk for infection, not the venom.

Keely Chavez

Ohhh! Yes. And arsenic for face powder!

Keely Chavez

Nurse-face here. Regarding the evolution of poison and medicine: foxglove to digoxin, Deadly Nightshade to atropine, poppies to pain meds, etc. does the ologist see the evolution of the two uses simultaneously thru history, or one use then the other? If one than the other, is poison or the medicine first use typically? (like oh! I tried to kill you, but I just gave you temporary pain relief... darn).

Fiona Dolphin

How bad is it for us to eat non-organic fruits/vegetables? Does rinsing them with water even do much to wash away pesticides?

Fiona Dolphin

Are all parts of nightshade plants equally poisonous or are the berries the most potent?

mariia k

which poison is most easily accessible to the public and why?

mariia k

do you think there are enough security measures that are/ should be taken by poison sellers?

Verena Runstadler

Where can we find mentions of poisons in mythology? What kind of role do they play in mythology (medicinal use or bad stay away??)

Verena Runstadler

What is (in the ologist’s opinion) the coolest fictional poison in movies or books?

Kirsten Love

Kind of specific - but how do they keep people safe in the Poison gardens? It is basically like saying Don't touch the red button. Don't touch these plants. And what movie poison inaccuracies drives you nuts

Amanda Thorpe

Interesting, yes. Didnt all medicines originate from natural substances... I think so, but I don't know so. Maybe off on a bit of a tangent here, but is the olfactory direct line into the amygdala based on anything to do with poison detection?

Smiley Kylie (she/her)

In my area there is A LOT of poison hemlock along waterways. Is this something to be concerned about?

Smiley Kylie (she/her)

How often are drinking water facilities tampered with or threatened with poisons? Is this something to be more concerned about with increased hacking?

Leanna Shuster

Anyone who has worked in pharmaceutical sciences has heard the quote from Paracelcus that "the dose makes the poison". I'm wondering about how an appropriate dose was figured out during the Rennaisance (when that quote originates from)? Were potential medicines just given in random doses to humans, hoping that it didn't kill them?

Olga Kolesnikova

Silly question but is there a difference between poisonous and toxic or are they synonyms? And what about venomous - is that a whole other thing?

Kaley Vang

First time question asker here! Why is poison referred to as the “woman’s weapon” when it comes to murder?? Where did that saying come from? But, also is it true that more women might kill with poison than a man?

Emily she-her-y'all

All I can tell you is aloe gel from the plant tastes disgusting and nothing could get that taste out of my mouth. It lingered for several more minutes than I was willing to deal with. Idk what they're putting in Boba maybe a different variety or treated or something?

Emily she-her-y'all

What causes the most accidental poisonings each year (lethal or non-lethal)? (ftq)

Helena

Which poison causes the most unpleasant death, and which the most pleasant? (I'm a FTQA)

Savannah Hex

I know this is morbid but… Are there any poisons that are undetectable in an autopsy?

Mini Minnie

Pick your poison - I choose bourbon

Jordan

What is the prettiest poison?

Jordan

It seems like we know that some things are poisonous, yet still use them. Are there certain uses of poisonous materials where we seem to be more willing to take the risk? Like are we more willing to use dangerous cosmetics, foods, pesticides, etc?

Jordan

How do you feel about poison gardens?

Jenna U

Is it true that arsenic or some other poison smells like almonds? I once had friends who said that raw almonds contain small amounts of arsenic and are actually dangerous because of this. Truth or flim flam?

Charlton

FTQA, would love to know about the cultural and/or historical transitions between when or how thing are considered poison v medicine. i.e mercury being considered medicine to now very much not considered medicine.

Charlton

FTQA, are there any things that were previously considered poisonous that are now used as medicine or have found another purpose, so like the reverse of something like mercury, and how did this happen???

Raja

When heavy metal contaminated soils are disposed of, what happens to them (the soils)? Or can the heavy metals in the soil be diluted enough through remediation to not be an environmental health issue? I know in some cases, these soils are capped but is that really a forever-forever solution? Hope these questions make sense!

Julia Hutton

I live in an area with lots of Superfund sites. When the sites are deemed "contained" or "safe," are they really safe? Like, loads of our hiking trails are through contaminated areas or around containment ponds. (Grosses me our when I see out-of-towners paddleboard on them.) Are we all doomed to short lives resulting from toxins and pollution leftover from heavy mining, or are we dandy to roam about the forest? (see the town of Gilman, CO and the Eagle Mine site ☠️!!)

Evelyn Uyemura

Do you have a favorite murder mystery that involves poisons? Agatha Christie? Any that are false or unrealistic?

Danna Ayres

FTQA…what’s the deal with antidotes? In lots of stories that involve poisonings, there’s some miraculous antidote that they always seem to get into the person just in time…how does this really work? Or does it? Also, can one actually build up an immunity to a poison just so they can one day defeat someone in an epic battle of wits (looking at you, Princess Bride…)?

daniel schmaniel

was 17th century france the wildest epidemic of slaughter water, or was it everywhere?

Leanna Shuster

For poisons that are naturally occuring (e.g. snake venom, plant extracts, etc.) is there ever a scenario in which the natural mixture of components is *more* toxic than if scientists isolate the primary toxin compound and expose an organism to this single chemical compound?

Mouse Paxton

Please talk about Giulia Tofana! Have you ever been to the poison plant garden? What's the strongest poison in the world? Any particularly interesting cases of someone dying and it's suspected they were poisoned? I saw a news article recently where wild pigs had bright blue muscle/fat and it's suspected they ate rodent poison, how does that work??

Darren Bush

Yeah, contaminated sites are problematic at least. One of the terms soil engineers use is "natural attenuation." In other words, do nothing and it'll all be gone in a thousand years. There was a LUST site next to my shop (leaking underground storage tank, usually old gas stations). It was remediated with monitoring and natural attenuation. Right.....

Reese Perini

Are there any common household products we shouldn’t be using because they are poisonous?

GhoulNextDoor

I am concerned with the amount of rolling back of regulations happening in the U.S. right now. How much of a threat do environmental contaminations pose to the population? Does it seem like the threat will be increasing with a reduction of regulations? Were existing regulations actually enforced and effective in the first place?

Jordan

Do you have a favorite depiction of poison/poisoning in media?

GhoulNextDoor

Do natural disasters increase risk of poisonings? Such as toxic fumes from wildfires or water/ soil contamination from flooding? If this is a risk are there actions in place to mitigate harm from that exposure or to clean up an impacted area? I am in part curious from my experience living near an area hit hard by Hurricane Helene. There are thousands of miles of area with flood deposited soil and debris, including over farming fields where crops are now growing again. Is there danger to the farm workers/ people living in that area/ or within the produce itself?

Jordan

Wildfire smoke question: how safe is it to be breathing that in? Sometimes the AQI will be low when you can smell smoke

Jordan

How were poisonous gasses viewed in ancient times? Thinking about things like Roman mines, which could contain poisonous gasses, or ploutonions, which were often at places that were viewed as gates to the underworld. As a follow-up question: are modern mines better at handling toxic air?

Jordan

Have poisons/toxic substances been used as abortifacients, both historically and in places that lack access to safe reproductive health options today? Related question: How do environmental toxins impact reproductive health?

Jordan

Can you get mercury poisoning from sushi?

Marianne Thomas

I have no idea what you're talking about and I can't wait to hear about it!

Marianne Thomas

You know, that acronym seems a little misleading

Marianne Thomas

On the industrial toxins theme, what's the worst environmental poisoning we've never heard of? Completely unrelated - anything that's poisonous to humans and no one else? (Thinking about this because when I have to explain why paracetamol is toxic to cats, or alcohol is poisonous to dogs, I find myself wondering, what's our poison?). Thanks from your friendly neighbourhood vet 😁

Marianne Thomas

It's everywhere here too. Always surprises me how I've never known anyone be affected

Marianne Thomas

Vet here! They shouldn't eat grapes or raisins. We now know the toxin involved is Tartaric Acid. The story of how they figured it out is really interesting and involves COVID! Anyhoops, the concentration in different fruits will vary, which is why a dog might eat loads and be fine, or just 3 and not survive. It's thought grapes are usually less toxic because they're mostly water. But they're very much still on the Avoid At All Costs and Call Vet If Ingested list. Related- there's an awesome resource called Animal Poison Line that's worth saving on your phone in case you're ever wondering how urgent a vet visit might be. Ok bye x

Marianne Thomas

Some of the questions in this comment section made me wonder the same thing 😅

Erin Dewberry

Can you micro dose on poisons to build up an immunity? How long would it take for one individual to be immune to a single poison? Are there limits to the immunity (like drinking a gallon of an immune poisonous substance would kill anyone)?

CurtisDawg

Is it true that the perpetrators of most poisoning crimes are female?

Jim

1. How were poisons identified for forensics both in early days (ca Agatha Christie) and later days ( ca Mass Spectroscopy & High Pressure Liquid Chromatography

BytheGraceofGaia

Have you heard of the lead-crime hypothesis? Is it just correlation or is there more substantial evidence that backs this?

Jim

"V is for Venom: Agatha Christie's Chemicals of Death" by Kathryn Harkup, a chemist, sounds great. Heard author on Science Friday (July 18, 2020); I recommend giving it a listen. She's written other books about poisons & Christie, Shakespere. AI fan? ChatGPT will give you a list of Christie mysteries where poison was the means and what the poison was.

Juno

So many questions from my poison-obsessed family! (should I be concerned?) 1. How did/do scientists figure out the limits to poisons/toxic substances that in certain amounts can be used as medical treatment? Was it trial and error? 2. I know that lead is harmful if you injest it but not very harmful otherwise (eg skin contact). Are there are substances that go a step further and can be helpful when interacted with in one form and harmful in another? 3. Is there a poison that tastes delicious but is deadly? 4. What in your opinion is the most interesting/intriguing poison?

Meagan Walker

What poisons can’t we live without? I’ve heard that something like arsenic was completely removed from some test mice diets and they didn’t thrive.

Meagan Walker

Is alcohol considered a socially acceptable poison?

Meagan Walker

Why do some areas of the world seem to have more poison animals and plants than others? Is it actually true?

who_let_the_lucy_goose_loose

What is the most problematic poison in terms of harm caused? Are there any that while on paper may be recognized as less harmful, but have had a profound impact due to other factors such as low detectability, or being commonly found/used in other things?

who_let_the_lucy_goose_loose

What are your opinions on household chemicals like air freshener or dish detergent being poisonous? Are people who claim they cause cancer or other health issues worrying about nothing, or are they they modern day equivalent of that poisonous green wallpaper?

who_let_the_lucy_goose_loose

Building on to this, how would things like bleach cleaners affect us overall, when although they may pose some health concerns, they also reduce germs and dirt that have their own consequences?

Leo Chiang

when an autopsy is performed for a suspected poison case, how do they test the body for poison? do they have to extract blood and tissues and perform different types of chemical processes to test for each individual poison, or is there a composite panel of test (naively, I imagine a skin allergy test)?

who_let_the_lucy_goose_loose

What is the difference between a poison, and something that is just bad for you? I wouldn't say dirt is poisonous, but isn't good to eat

Matt Schmidt

What is the oldest known reference to poisons?

who_let_the_lucy_goose_loose

I learned at a first aid course that poison centres will sometimes recommend giving a poisoned person milk (to line their stomach?), how does this work?

Matt Schmidt

Do poisons by definition need to be derived from something naturally occurring or can they be man made?

Matt Schmidt

Was Poison the start of New Jack Swing or does that not give Janet Jackson enough credit?

Jack Stoecker

Regarding water supply - please comment on pfas, lead , trihalomethanes and Cyanobacteria toxins. Boston water is unfiltered.

Jack Stoecker

Is snorting/huffing ammonia poisonous or beneficial?

A. Ortega

do we generally associate poison with small events/actions (almost 1:1 involving people/animals)? Does the oology include larger scale things like radiation poisoning in nuclear disasters, toxic waste or chemical weapons? What are they key differences or things to consider in studying poisons for those different scales?

Magdalena Castillo

What’s the chemical make up of GMOs and pesticides and are they bad for us?

Bethinator3000

Did the amount of poisoning homicides lower exponentially when divorce became legal?

CurtisDawg

Is "Arsenic and Old Lace" the best movie about poisoning?

Anna Wolf

so many questions (AHNuh) first time question asker How do modern companies that either leach toxins directly into waterways or have toxic products not get in trouble for poisoning communities? Is it legislation or do they get in trouble & just pay the fine? I'm also very curious about how people learned the safe levels of poisons either as a flavor additive, medicine or intoxicated How are plant derived poisons different from purely chemical derived ones? Like is the structure different? can the toxicity be engineered to different levels? What plants are the MOST poisonous? What forever chemicals are the most toxic? any recs on how to avoid?

Maren Malling

What is the deadliest poison? And which poisons are hardest to detect. No sinister motives, I promise! Just really curious

Etienne

Do you know of the anime series “the apothecary diaries” and are the poison scenarios realistic?

Maren Malling

Are magic mushrooms (psilocybin) considered poisonous? How have the psychoactive compounds been discovered?

Maren Malling

Are there any poisons that can be safely ingested by certain animals but are harmful or even deadly to humans?

rowantree

I’m curious about what the expert thinks of bioweaponry and if poisons fall into that and how it might look in the future!

Maren Malling

When I was a child, I was told that the "golden rain" or laburnum tree was very poisonous and to stay away from it. It has these pea-like pods that are poisonous to eat, but somehow my friends and I were afraid to even stand under it. Is it really that poisonous?

Maren Malling

What is the deal with pufferfish???

L7_Posse

What's the best story you have of a fellow scientist being bláse with something that is dangerously poisonous? (As a lab safety officer, I'm often shocked by how casual some of my chemistry colleagues are with toxic substances)

Classic.Tina

Can anything be poisonous depending on the circumstances? Like dogs and grapes?

BeckytheSassySeagrassScientist

Do you have any ideas about what poison was referenced by any famous poisonings in stories or history? What's the deal with Hamlet's uncle and dripping something in his ear? What about the tomatoes and pewter plates causing poisoning stories?

Ranger France

When doing a report on mammals I fell down a rabbit hole of platypus sleep cycles and how the have more REM sleep than any other mammal, almost making it more like birds. As most questions are asking- WHY?!

Ranger France

Since platypuses glow under UV light, do we have any evidence they actually use that in communication or camouflage or is it just a biochemical accident we stumbled on with blacklights?

Ranger France

Any theories on why humans haven't starting platypus farms for harvesting warm fur? Disclaimer- I am not for this, but morbid curiosity

Obilot

what’s the deal with platypus venom?! how toxic is it? is the same poison found elsewhere, or have a use?

Darren Bush

I’m 63. When I was a kid my grandfather gave me a test tube of mercury to play with. Now you drop a thermometer and the hazmat suits come out.

batlegs

How is their mouth different than a ducks beak and is this considered convergent evolution? Also why do they look like evolution converged so hard it made a chimera? Why do they be like that?

YogaGramma

There's a great book called 'The Writers Guide to Deadly Poison'

Honeydew

What is up with the language around big companies poisoning our water ways. Is a superfund site not poisoned land? Does intention have to be proved when accusing an entity of poisoning another?