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Everything is poison. Only the amount matters.

The physician Paracelsus wrote in 1538: all things are poison, and the dose alone makes a thing not a poison. Too much water causes water intoxication; too much oxygen damages the lungs. Conversely, the foxglove toxin digitalis becomes a heart drug in tiny doses. Limits for food and drinking water rest on exactly this principle.

Useful: 'Contains chemical X' says nothing. Always ask: how much, and from what level does it act?

Source: en.wikipedia.org

ChemieDenkwerkzeugToxikologie

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Question on this card

What does 'the dose makes the poison' mean?

  1. Natural substances are never toxic
  2. Whether something harms depends on the amount
  3. Chemicals are always dangerous
  4. Poisons only act in small amounts
Show the answer

Correct: Whether something harms depends on the amount

Even water or oxygen harm in excess, while poisons can heal in tiny amounts.

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