# Are glowsticks dangerous? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 8, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808 "2009-11-08T16:20:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/1 "2009-11-08T16:20:57Z")
I have a couple from last night. They are still faintly glowing. I was wondering if it would be dangerous if I cracked them open and played with the glowing goo inside. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/2 "2009-11-08T16:23:14Z")
They are considered nontoxic. Still, I wouldn’t drink the contents. ---
**Author:** ![PuddingCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@PuddingCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PuddingCat)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/3 "2009-11-08T16:32:56Z")
They contain Hydrogen Peroxide (reasonably strong too) and produce Phenols as they glow. I wouldn’t open them up. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/4 "2009-11-08T16:51:58Z")
The glow goo reminded me of Predator blood when we cracked one open. It was pretty cool, but it stained the stuff it dripped on to. (I don’t know if it is toxic, so I am not recommending you follow my example.) ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/5 "2009-11-08T17:43:03Z")
When I was a kid I was fascinatedly looking at one of these while twisting and bending it and the damn thing broke open and squirted in my eye. It burnt like crazy, but was fine after I washed it out. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/6 "2009-11-08T17:54:18Z")
If you throw them in the freezer at night before you go to bed, you can easily get a second night out of them. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/7 "2009-11-08T17:59:47Z")
bis(2,4,5-trichlorophenyl-6-carbopentoxyphenyl)oxalate Trichlorophenol has a nasty sound to it. It’s probably not something you want to eat on a regular basis. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/8 "2009-11-08T18:01:20Z")
Also, the 2 times I have opened one up they had broken glass inside from the tubes of stuff that was mixed up in them after the “crushing” of the outer tube… ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/9 "2009-11-08T19:22:46Z")
> [@Tristan](#): > > Also, the 2 times I have opened one up they had broken glass inside from the tubes of stuff that was mixed up in them after the “crushing” of the outer tube… That reminds me, how do glow sticks work? They are liquid with some kind of hard glass thing in the middle that, when broken, mixes with the liquid somehow and glows? Witchcraft??!? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/10 "2009-11-08T19:26:28Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > That reminds me, how do glow sticks work? They are liquid with some kind of hard glass thing in the middle that, when broken, mixes with the liquid somehow and glows? Witchcraft??!? 😕 There is a thin glass tube in the middle of the thick plastic one. The liquid in the middle tube reacts with the stuff in the outer tube and the reaction causes the glowing. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/11 "2009-11-08T19:30:51Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > That reminds me, how do glow sticks work? They are liquid with some kind of hard glass thing in the middle that, when broken, mixes with the liquid somehow and glows? Witchcraft??!? 😕 Millions of fireflies gave their lives so you could wave silly glowing sticks on the 4th of July. The study of the [Luceferase](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luciferase) and [Luceferin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luciferin) reactions lead to the creation of man-made [chemiluminescent](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glow_stick) materials. ---
**Author:** ![ivn1188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/12 "2009-11-08T20:26:34Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > bis(2,4,5-trichlorophenyl-6-carbopentoxyphenyl)oxalate > > Trichlorophenol has a nasty sound to it. It’s probably not something you want to eat on a regular basis. Is this a joke? Do you avoid Cyanocobalamin and Phylloquinone? The stuff in glow sticks in non-toxic. Period. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/13 "2009-11-08T20:33:04Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > The glow goo reminded me of Predator blood when we cracked one open. You’ve seen Predator blood and lived to tell? Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/14 "2009-11-08T21:45:21Z")
> [@ivn1188](#): > > Is this a joke? Do you avoid Cyanocobalamin and Phylloquinone? The stuff in glow sticks in non-toxic. Period. I’ve worked with various chlorophenols, they tend to have redox properties that cause them to interact with biological systems. Here’s one example: > [@](#): > > 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol, also known as TCP, phenaclor, Dowicide 2S, Dowcide 2S, omal, is a chlorinated phenol that has been used as a fungicide, herbicide, insecticide, antiseptic,[1] defoliant, and glue preservative.[2] It is a yellow solid with a strong, sweet odour. It decomposes on heating to produce toxic and corrosive fumes including hydrogen chloride and chlorine. > > It is carcinogenic in animals, causing lymphomas, leukemia, and liver cancer via oral exposure.[3][4] It is classified as Group B2 (probable human carcinogen) by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.[4] The technical grade of this substance may contain polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and other contaminants.[5] > **[2,4,6-Trichlorophenol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,4,6-Trichlorophenol)** > > 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol, also known as TCP, phenaclor, Dowicide 2S, Dowcide 2S, omal, is a chlorinated phenol that has been used as a fungicide, herbicide, insecticide, antiseptic, defoliant, and glue preservative. It is a clear to yellowish crystalline solid with a strong, phenolic odor. It decomposes on heating to produce toxic and corrosive fumes including hydrogen chloride and chlorine. > 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol is produced industrially by the electrophilic chlorination of phenol: > In animal model... Without knowing _precisely_ what phenol is generated in the reaction with H[sub]2[/sub]O[sub]2[/sub], you’d have to be nuts to be casual about smearing it around on your flesh or ingesting it\*. PS, I’m quite fond of vitamins B and K, why do you ask? * * * \*and free radical reactions, such as those in a glowstick, are notorious for producing multitudes of minor products. I’d prefer to see some evidence that all those products are safe before I go and take a bath in the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/15 "2009-11-08T22:01:53Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > I’m quite fond of vitamins B and K, why do you ask? Declaring affinity for vitamin K in a thread about glowsticks is open to misinterpretation. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/16 "2009-11-08T22:16:44Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > They are considered nontoxic. Still, I wouldn’t drink the contents. I had a friend who chugged the contents of a glowstick - gave him a stomachache, but he was otherwise fine. (I know, I know, anecdotes aren’t data, but still.) ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/17 "2009-11-08T22:33:19Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > Declaring affinity for vitamin K in a thread about glowsticks is open to misinterpretation. Oh Lord, I forgot! I guess I better just plead oldness on that. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/18 "2009-11-09T00:11:26Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > I’ve worked with various chlorophenols, they tend to have redox properties that cause them to interact with biological systems. Here’s one example:[2,4,6-Trichlorophenol - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,4,6-Trichlorophenol) > > Without knowing _precisely_ what phenol is generated in the reaction with H[sub]2[/sub]O[sub]2[/sub], you’d have to be nuts to be casual about smearing it around on your flesh or ingesting it\*. > > PS, I’m quite fond of vitamins B and K, why do you ask? > > * * * > > \*and free radical reactions, such as those in a glowstick, are notorious for producing multitudes of minor products. I’d prefer to see some evidence that all those products are safe before I go and take a bath in the stuff. Just going by [wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glowstick), then phenol is just plain phenol. It’s an acid with some analgesic properties, but not particularly problematic. It is remarkable in the lab for being able to burn your skin while numbing it at the same time. Definitely a dumb thing to swallow, but it is a major ingredient in throat sprays so YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/19 "2009-11-09T00:17:46Z")
I opened one up over the sink once. The stuff inside _stinks_. It is non-toxic though. I believe it glows in UV light too. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808/20 "2009-11-09T00:52:12Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > Just going by [wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glowstick), then phenol is just plain phenol. That article covers just the reaction of 1,2-dioxetanedione. The old Cyalume glowsticks used bis(2,4,5-trichlorophenyl-6-carbopentoxyphenyl)oxalate [CPPO](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bis%282,4,5-trichlorophenyl-6-carbopentoxyphenyl%29oxalate). It looks to me like that’ll break down into substituted trichlorophenols. I’m not certain which chemistry everyone is using these days, or if everyone is even using the same chemistry. That being the case, a little caution is called for, even if the label on my imported, from God knows where, glowstick says “safe and non-toxic.” Ink is cheap, actually proving safety is not. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-glowsticks-dangerous/516808.md?page=2)