Incredible facts
Water is a fairly harmless substance, but drinking too much of it can be fatal.
The same can be said about the other substances we use every day, from coffee to salt.
To determine how lethal each substance is, a toxicity measure known as LD50 is used, an individual dose that is required to kill half of the animals on which it was tested.
This amount may vary depending on health, gender, and other factors. These data were calculated for an 88 kg man.
Lethal doses of LD50
120 cups of coffee
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Coffee helps us to cheer up, improves concentration and is completely safe in moderation. But at high concentrations, caffeine causes insomnia, dizziness, vomiting, headaches, and heart problems.
The risk of overdose is highest with caffeine powder. Just one tablespoon of powdered caffeine equals approximately 120 cups of coffee. In the summer of 2014, two young men died after drinking a mixture of pure powdered caffeine and water.
6 litres of water
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Water regulates the shape of cells in our body. Excess water in and around cells is called water intoxication or hyponatremia. If you drink too much water, which sometimes happens to athletes accidentally during training, this condition can occur.
Also read: Is it true that you should drink 8 glasses of water a day?
In severe cases of water intoxication, the brain can be affected and a number of neurological problems may occur, ranging from headache to confusion, seizures, and rarely death.
A well-known case of water intoxication occurred in 2007 when Jennifer Strange, a 28-year-old girl, drank 6 liters of water in less than 3 hours during a contest and died later few hours.
Lethal salt dose
48 teaspoons salt
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The balance of water and salt (sodium) in and around cells is very important for the body. When there is a lack of sodium (excess water), cells swell, and when there is an excess of sodium (lack of water), they dry out.
High salt levels, also known as hypernatremia, can cause symptoms such as fatigue and weakness, and when the condition worsens, seizures, coma, and even death can occur.
Lethal dose of tablets
71 paracetamol tablets
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An overdose of paracetamol can cause serious harm. The maximum dose of paracetamol for adults is 1 gram per dosage and 4 grams per day. Taking large amounts of paracetamol can cause serious liver damage.
The lethal dose is 35.600 mg, or about 71 tablets of paracetamol.
Lethal dose of alcohol
13 glasses of alcohol in quick succession
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As you know, alcoholic beverages can cloud your eyes, confuse your speech, make fun of your memory and slow down your reaction time. But all of these consequences can be fatal if you drink too fast.
Alcohol poisoning is an excess of alcohol in the blood that shuts off areas of the brain that control certain functions, such as breathing and consciousness. It usually occurs when someone drinks large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time.
For an average person, 13 drinks in a short period of time is enough to kill, but this figure varies depending on the size of the shot, gender, and other factors.
Lethal doses of substances
85 chocolate bars
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Although delicious, chocolate contains enough of the toxic substance theobromine to kill a small animal. That is why it is not recommended to give it to pets.
This ingredient can also kill humans, but due to the fact that we digest it much better than cats and dogs, we will need to eat a lot more chocolate for serious consequences for health.
In humans, the potentially dangerous dose of theobromine is 1,000 mg per kg, or approximately 85 chocolate bars. For cats, for example, even a few pieces can be dangerous.
Read also: The 10 most dangerous foods
22 apples
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We all know that apples are healthy and delicious. However, their seeds contain a small amount of a compound that is converted to a dangerous toxin called hydrogen cyanide or hydrocyanic acid when digested.
It is estimated that an apple contains about 700 mg of hydrogen cyanide per kilogram of dry weight, and about 1.5 mg of cyanide per kilogram of human body can kill.
This means you need to chew and swallow half a cup of apple seeds in one sitting, or about 19-24 apples.
Symptoms of mild cyanide poisoning include: confusion, dizziness, headache, and vomiting. High doses can lead to breathing problems, kidney failure and, in rare cases, death.
If you're worried about poisoning, remember that it's best to swallow whole apple seeds. This way they will pass through the digestive system without causing harm.
Lethal doses for humans
Here are a few more substances and products that can be fatal in certain amounts:
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40 cigarettes — it's obvious that nicotine kills
37.5 tubes of toothpaste — you will die from an overdose of fluoride compounds
2.3 kg of spinach — an overdose of oxalic acid is waiting for you
Meat from 1.8 cows — this amount of iron can be lethal
122,448 pieces of tuna sushi would be a lethal dose of mercury
Polar bear liver — this amount of vitamin A will kill you