An old saying suggests that everything in excess is bad, but whoever first said it probably didn't consider the power of chemistry. As extraordinary as the human body is, there are substances in the world that can destroy it even in very small amounts. The best way to visualize this is through a direct comparison, starting with everyday items like water and sugar, and reaching those small terrors that we need to keep at a good distance from us.
Last week I suffered a mild intoxication. Everything I ate in recent days was well cooked, but clearly I crossed paths with “something” that lost its basic safety parameters. Replenishing fluids and getting some rest were more than enough to fix the situation; however, that served as a good reminder of how fragile the human body is in the face of certain substances.
Bad food, unsafe water, allergic reactions, toxins transferred by bites and/or stings… there are many things out there that can knock us out, even those that present positive aspects when consumed in moderation. That said, what is the most deadly thing in the world?
The most toxic substances
The first example this video presents is water, and no, it's not a mistake. Hyperhydration is a very dangerous condition, usually associated with the use of drugs like MDMA (ecstasy). The LD50 value (median lethal dose) of water for an average human of 70-75 kilograms is about six liters, but then we find examples like 1 kg of vodka, 410 grams of pure alcohol, and 13.5 grams of caffeine. Of course, we are just scratching the surface.
Potassium chloride (just one gram) is part of the “cocktail of the three drugs” in lethal injections. In the case of apitoxin (bee venom), the LD50 is 380 milligrams. A black widow kills with less than 7 percent of that amount, and the lionfish needs 2.9 milligrams. Even so, we are still in huge quantities.
In the microgram range we find examples like plutonium (350 micrograms), ricin (200 micrograms), and the nerve agent VX (160 micrograms). At the bottom of that list appears polonium, the deadliest element on the periodic table (and supposedly used by Russian intelligence). The video indicates an LD50 of one microgram, but several sources suggest the amount is smaller.
Is there something more lethal than polonium? The answer is yes… and it has accompanied us for hundreds of years: botulinum toxin, with an estimated LD50 of just one nanogram. The most ironic part? This potential killer has several medical and aesthetic applications (under its famous brand Botox). It can treat muscle disorders, strabismus, urinary incontinence, and even migraines.
