Buzz
For starters, you'd be ingesting a misnomer. Silica gel isn't truly a gel, but a granular form of silicon dioxide (SiO2), a compound that forms when silicon is oxidized. Silica gel is man-made, but SiO2 is also naturally occurring (I’m sure you’ve heard of sand and quartz).
But before we delve into the effects of swallowing it, let’s take a brief history lesson. Silica gel has existed since at least the 1600s, but it wasn’t until its absorbent qualities were discovered during World War I, where it was used in gas mask canisters, that it gained significance. Walter Patrick, a chemistry professor at Johns Hopkins University, patented silica gel in 1919 and partnered with the chemical company Grace Davison from Maryland to further refine it. Davison began commercializing silica gel in 1923, but its real breakthrough came during World War II.
Silica gel can absorb up to a third of its weight in water without undergoing a chemical reaction or changing its form. Even when fully saturated, the granules remain dry to the touch and can be reused by heating them at 250°F for two hours. These characteristics made silica gel incredibly valuable for controlling moisture and humidity, and during the war, it helped keep medicine, military gear, and supplies dry.
Today, it can be found packaged with leather goods, pepperoni, electronics, vitamin pills, and even used in museums and libraries to protect against rust, corrosion, tarnish, mildew, mold, and spoilage.
Risk Assessment
So, what happens if you decide to ignore the warning on the packet, break social norms, and snack on a few of those granules? I hate to disappoint, but the most likely outcome is...nothing! (Of course, there are a few exceptions, which we’ll cover shortly.)
If you think about it, silica gel is essentially synthetic sand. It’s non-toxic and chemically inert. Those who’ve consumed anywhere from a handful of beads to an entire packet have reported no harmful effects. If you're wondering, it's supposedly nearly tasteless, kind of like licking a postage stamp.
Why the Skull & Crossbones?
So, why the warnings? While silica gel isn't entirely hazardous, it's also not entirely harmless. Here are a few reasons why the packets come with strict warnings:
Dehydration – Silica gel's purpose is to absorb moisture, and it continues to do so as you digest it. You would have to consume quite a bit of it to cause dehydration, but if you did, it would dry you out quickly.
Silicosis – This lung disease, also known as Grinder's disease or Potter's rot, is caused by inhaling silica dust. It leads to symptoms such as scarring and nodular lesions in the lungs' upper lobes, shortness of breath, fever, and cyanosis (a bluish tint to the skin).
Foreign vapors and toxic additives – You can't be sure what the silica gel has been exposed to along its journey from Point A to Point B. Eating a packet that came with a box of cockroach traps is definitely not recommended. During manufacturing or shipping, the gel could have absorbed harmful substances. Sometimes, toxic substances like fungicides or pesticides are deliberately added to the gel.
One additive to be cautious of is cobalt(II) chloride, which is toxic. This is used in the gel to provide a visible indication of moisture absorption. When dry, the granules are blue, but they turn pink when saturated with moisture.
And the main reason? Lawsuits! – Even if the packet contains nothing but plain silica gel with no cobalt(II) chloride, no silica dust, and not enough granules to cause dehydration, companies have been sued for much more trivial things. They’re just covering themselves.
