# What's Lethal in Miniscule Amounts?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-lethal-in-miniscule-amounts/466356
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 3, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-lethal-in-miniscule-amounts/466356 "2008-10-03T18:45:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2008, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-lethal-in-miniscule-amounts/466356/21 "2008-10-03T20:52:20Z")
This being the SDMB, I must point out that there is nothing that is lethal in miniscule amounts, because the word is _Min **u** scule_.
No need to thank me.
Yes, I am aware that some sources consider it a valid variant.
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### Author:  [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2008, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-lethal-in-miniscule-amounts/466356/22 "2008-10-03T20:57:55Z")
> [@jk1245](#):
>
> Polonium-210 (the stuff used to kill Alexander Litvinenko) has a lethal dose of 50 ng (ingested) and 10 ng(inhaled).
>
> That’s total dose, not per kg (at least according to wiki)
Is it the radiation from that amount that kills, or does it have a non-radiological effect at that dose?
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### Author:  [@Connecting\_Rod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Connecting_Rod)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2008, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-lethal-in-miniscule-amounts/466356/23 "2008-10-03T21:19:22Z")
> [@Szlater](#):
>
> Is it the radiation from that amount that kills, or does it have a non-radiological effect at that dose?
It’s the radiation. [http://hps.org/documents/po210factsheet.pdf](http://hps.org/documents/po210factsheet.pdf)
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### Author:  [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2008, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-lethal-in-miniscule-amounts/466356/24 "2008-10-03T21:19:24Z")
> [@Szlater](#):
>
> Is it the radiation from that amount that kills, or does it have a non-radiological effect at that dose?
That’s the radioactive damage at that dose (also an acute dosing), which answer’s the OP’s “What if we included radioactive elements” portion.
For straight toxins, I think botulism is it.
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### Author:  [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2008, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-lethal-in-miniscule-amounts/466356/25 "2008-10-03T21:38:37Z")
> [@Szlater](#):
>
> _C. botulinum_ is a very common soil bacteria, and it can be found in honey too.
Which is why honey is bad for infants. Their stomach acid is too weak to kill the bacteria before they can reproduce and make botulism toxin.
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### Author:  [@Connecting\_Rod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Connecting_Rod)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2008, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-lethal-in-miniscule-amounts/466356/26 "2008-10-03T22:07:56Z")
As far as how many compounds are lethal at 1 milligram ingested by an adult, the UN system for categorizing acute toxicity has 5 milligram/kilogram as the threshold for the most toxic category, which should be roughly 300 milligrams for an adult person. So there shouldn’t be all that many below 1.
Although some of them are classes of compounds, EPA’s list of acutely hazardous waste materials ([P-list](http://www.utexas.edu/safety/ehs/disposal/procedures/appendix4.html)) only has 189 materials. And a lot of them aren’t anywhere near 1 mg/adult. Cyanide for instance is around 100 mg/kg LD50.
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### Author:  [@Henrichek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Henrichek)
#### Post date: [October 3, 2008, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-lethal-in-miniscule-amounts/466356/27 "2008-10-03T22:12:20Z")
> [@Szlater](#):
>
> Botox is Botulinum toxin, so you might find bottles of it in illegally dumped medical waste.
>
> _C. botulinum_ is a very common soil bacteria, and it can be found in honey too.
It was C. botulinum. However, we knew nothing about it and Wikipedia said it produced one of the most toxic substances, so we were worried for a little while. Of course we were informed that it wasn’t a problem. So we didn’t get to uncover any biological weapon terrorist plot 😃
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### Author:  [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2008, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-lethal-in-miniscule-amounts/466356/28 "2008-10-04T12:14:00Z")
> [@Henrichek](#):
>
> My mother found a small bottle on the ground containing this when she was walking the dog once. We didn’t know what it was and I checked it online. Then we became quite worried since it seemed to be quite dangerous. We contacted some authority about it, but they said we could just throw it away. I guess it had contained the bacteria who create the toxin, or something of that kind. The label said clostridium botulinum or something of that kind.
“Hmm there’s a little bottle on the ground here with some kinda scientific name written on it. I’m not sure if it’s a junkie’s drugs or a lethal poison or what. I know! I’ll take it home with me!”
😃
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### Author:  [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2008, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-lethal-in-miniscule-amounts/466356/29 "2008-10-04T12:36:07Z")
I can’t find an LD50 but [Dimethyl Mercury](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimethylmercury) has to be way up there. It goes right through your skin aqnd latex gloves as well.
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### Author:  [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2008, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-lethal-in-miniscule-amounts/466356/30 "2008-10-04T12:56:52Z")
Thst’s the same thing I thought of, after reading this story [http://ehs.okstate.edu/NEWS/KAREN.HTM](http://ehs.okstate.edu/NEWS/KAREN.HTM) not too long ago.
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### Author:  [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2008, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-lethal-in-miniscule-amounts/466356/31 "2008-10-05T00:22:48Z")
It is a pretty standard chemistry lesson in grad school these days thanks to Karen RIP. I had an unopened bottle of diphenylmercury, and beleive me it scared the bejeezus out of me just being there.
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