Toxicity

If you were to take a quick glance at the periodic table of elements, could you point out which elements are toxic to humans?  The quick answer is, they all are, and so are their compounds.  What actually matters is the dosage at which they become toxic.  Anybody who tells you different are either misinformed, or trying to sell you something.  It's generally the latter of the two which claim something to be toxic, without providing the required dosage.  Usually it's because they don't know and are just repeating what they heard someone else say.  Or, in some rare cases, are just pulling that information out of their ass in hopes to sway consumers from purchasing a specific product.

A common misconception is that all compounds which contain the same element, have the same toxicity.  This is completely false.  Sometimes having an extra oxygen, hydrogen or carbon atom can greatly change a compound's toxicity.  Or, whether or not that compound bioaccumulates.  This is something which is rigorously tested, especially in the field of medicine.  Every year as scientists attempt to create new medications, they also need to make sure that those medications don't kill the patient.  Either instantly or over a longer time-scale.  There are known adverse effects of certain medications, but they are greatly outweighed by the benefits.  

The next time someone tells you something is toxic, ask them at which dose.  If they don't know, look it up.  Look it up anyway, just in case they are mistaken.  You can find the toxicity levels in grams or micrograms per pound of body weight for almost every element and known compound online, and in some medical and chemistry textbooks.  Base your decisions on that information.  Granted there are some elements which are generally understood to be toxic to humans, but I don't think they really apply here.  Unless you live under a rock or happen to be six years old, you probably know arsenic is toxic to humans.  If that is the case, you probably aren't reading my blog anyway.