Less poisonous. Its purpose is to be poison.
this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2023
532 points (97.8% liked)
Memes
45727 readers
1542 users here now
Rules:
- Be civil and nice.
- Try not to excessively repost, as a rule of thumb, wait at least 2 months to do it if you have to.
founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
If poison expires it becomes safer
If medicine expires it becomes poison
Not necessarily.
Aspirin yes, paracetamol no.
Some medicine also just becomes less effective, not more dangerous.
What does aspirin degrade to that's harmful?
In the case of tetracycline antibiotics the degradation products can damage the kidneys and cause Fanconi syndrome. So in that case as a medicine for people it becomes poison, as a poison for bacteria it becomes safer.
Haha that's the case I had in mind!
If you wait long enough does poison expire and become medicine again tho?
If you wait long enough it's no longer a matter of chemistry but of physics. It goes inert and/or it degrades to/along its container.
Someone hire this guy! Nobel material.
Surely it'd be less effective since some of the molecules or whatever have broken down into (hopefully) less poisonous molecules?
Presumably yes, and for historical context look to Napoleon Bonaparte. It's presumed that when he attempted suicide the mercury cyonide had "expired" (humidity and water got in) and that's why his suicide failed. I still wouldn't go around eating expired poison to prove a point though.
Doesn't really matter, but the taste will degrade over time
Only one way to know
I need to know the answer