Michael Dourson: Too much of a good thing?
Michael L. Dourson, PhD., DABT, FATS, FSRA
Guest columnist
We have all likely heard someone say something is “too much of a good thing.” This applies to foods like ice cream, drinks, wine and many kinds of activities, like watching movies. However, this also applies to chemicals to which we are exposed every day or about which we often read in our daily news.
In fact, all chemicals are toxic at some level. Some can cause harm at very small concentrations while others need a large amount before there is a danger to our health. For example, ingesting large amounts of dihydrogen monoxide can cause low blood sodium concentrations leading to nausea, fatigue, confusion and seizures and even death. But few people would want to ban di-hydrogen (H2) mono-oxide (O) — also known as “water” — from public sale and or other uses since water is safe and necessary when we drink a normal amount.