The Silica Gel Mystery explores whether or not you can safely eat silica gel:
I became so intrigued by these little packets which seem to have more “DO NOT EAT” warnings on them than, for instance, rat poison or antifreeze, that I actually decided to do some research into the matter. I wanted to know why it is so imperative that we not eat this stuff. I mean, it doesn’t actually look like a life-threatening biohazard. […]
Update: the original link has rotted, here is an archived copy.
Published at 10:05 am on November 4th, 2002.
Topics: Foo
72 Comments
Chester, thanks for the link, coincidentally I spent a good amount of time on the halfbakery site yesterday, but missed that one! I like this factoid:
Comment by Tim at 10:44 pm on August 3rd, 2003 #link
is silica gel really THAT toxic? i need to know because a girl in my class said it wasnt toxic at all and ate about half a packet of the stuff. is she gonna like die in the middle of the night or anything?
email me if you know
Comment by Meghann at 9:06 pm on December 15th, 2003 #link
can i make beef jerky with silica gel? i just ate some and it sucked up my mouth so i figured it would do the same to beef.
Comment by mike at 5:16 pm on January 29th, 2004 #link
My cat like ate acouple of the Silica gel thingies will he be okay?
Comment by Bin at 5:31 am on February 25th, 2004 #link
Okay, I have come to answer all your questions
-No, it’s not that toxic. In fact, it’s not toxic at all unless it’s already absorbed something toxic. If you eat it in very large quantities, you could be at risk for cancer, or if you eat it in extremely large quantities, it could dry up your body. But I’m talking, crazy amounts of it, so the person with the friend, and the person with the cat, don’t worry about it.
-Beef Jerky is probably feasable, but I’ve never tried it, so I bet you would need a lot of silica, and it would probably take a long time.
If you have any more silica questions, feel free to email me at crowdish@yahoo.com or visit my website, http://www.silicagel.tk
Yes, I’m dead serious about the website.
Comment by Crow at 3:08 pm on March 6th, 2004 #link
do they make boobs out of this stuff
Comment by Jeff at 2:19 pm on March 8th, 2004 #link
we are doing a project at school with silicagel in witch we are using it to make diferent experiments and it is fun in many ways including how we soke up diferent chemicals and react the jell with other chemicals and the explode… haaaaaaa haaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa explode biatches!!!!
Comment by Yourmomatron at 1:40 pm on March 12th, 2004 #link
Silica gel does not make boobs
Nothing will react with it to explode except sodium, but watch out- its VERY hot! Trust me i know
If you have any more silica questions, feel free to email me at crowdish@yahoo.com or visit my website, http://www.silicagel.tk
Comment by Crow at 3:24 pm on April 8th, 2004 #link
Well I think it would be cool if boobs were made out of cilica jell. It would ad a new boob factor and it would be sweet because they would be like bean bags. MMMMMMM bean bags!!!!!!!
Comment by realy bored at 3:30 pm on April 8th, 2004 #link
we ate silica gel
Comment by loosie and telle at 3:16 pm on May 11th, 2004 #link
Thanks for posting this info. My dog just ate a packet, and I was in a panic!
Comment by Vickie at 2:35 am on June 13th, 2004 #link
my bestest friend died frm eating a packet of silica gel
Comment by loosie and telle at 3:03 pm on June 23rd, 2004 #link
me and loosie ate silica gel….we wer w8in 2 die……we even rote suicide notes……..but nufink ever happend so if u ever get hungry and u hav nuthing on u cept silica gel then go ahed and eat it….its harmless
Comment by Telle at 5:37 pm on June 23rd, 2004 #link
Can anyone tell me how to use silica gel for a digicam??? Do I have to put these little balls on the lens of my camera (i don´t think so).???
Comment by dell at 4:51 pm on June 28th, 2004 #link
OMFG THIS SHIT IS SO FUCKING FUNNY. HAHAHAHA. FUCK. HA.
Comment by jay at 11:02 am on September 26th, 2004 #link
I guess i lived a shelterd life. I never knew there were so many idiots in the world.
If you didnt comprehend, the first 10 times, unless you eat enough to fill a bedroom, and all in the same day, you wont die.
But, if you stick it in your ass you might dry up your shit which then makes it harder for you to take a dump.
Comment by Dork at 5:23 am on December 5th, 2004 #link
haha thanks i just freaked out!! my dog ate a silica gel packet…are you sure they are totally okay? cause i mean he is a small dog i dont want him to die or anything…if anybody knows like for sure please email me at wackygurl012003@yahoo.com thanks
Comment by jessica at 6:43 am on December 21st, 2004 #link
Personal infromation? Bloody hell, spell check this place.
Anyway, are you saying there is no way other than the addition of sodium that will silica explode? What about the small packets you get with shoes? Its silicone, and oxygen. Surely that means an explosive with its own oxidiser? Email me with answers.
Comment by 3FingeredJack at 7:08 pm on April 24th, 2005 #link
is there a product that silica will not stick to?
Comment by dennis at 7:34 am on June 7th, 2005 #link
Why is silica gel an ingredient in PAPAYA MINTS?? (they are used for Indigestion, Heartburn, and Excess Acid -)Does this mean papaya mints are not safe to eat?? Thank You for your time!
Comment by blu at 2:57 am on June 26th, 2005 #link
help mi m8 just ate sum and is having pains will she gie???
Comment by lum at 9:15 pm on July 7th, 2005 #link
help me i ate three packest of cilica gel an im in agony i think i need help
Comment by eve at 9:17 pm on July 7th, 2005 #link
haha- i looked this up as well as i wondered what it would do to you… here is a good link on the subject- don’t take it as Gospel and start eating it though- but one dude’s cat seems to love the stuff!
http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/edible20silica20gel
Chester.
Comment by Chester Brewster at 12:24 pm on August 3rd, 2003 #link
Re: #19 (3FingeredJack) – I’ve fixed the typo.
Comment by Tim at 9:00 pm on April 24th, 2005 #link
This was extremely helpful, Tim! Thanks. My cat, too, just got into a packet of that stuff and you put my mind at ease. Now I know not to bother the vet at 3 am with a silly question… Thanks!
Comment by Kristen at 8:41 am on October 2nd, 2005 #link
My cat just ate a whole packet of silica gel. I hope he drinks a lot of water
Comment by Taylor Randolph at 4:00 pm on October 23rd, 2005 #link
Yet another cat with a goat complex ate silica gel… Thanks for putting my mind at ease!
Comment by GeorgieLex at 12:46 am on November 23rd, 2005 #link
In line with some of the other intelligent posts…
I thought I would test this mystery and I ate a packet of silica gel and died. Therefore I would advise against it.
Comment by deadun at 6:17 am on December 9th, 2005 #link
I tried stuffing some silica gel in my anus to see if it would help with my diarrhea and it totally worked!! This stuff is amazing!!
Comment by Big Johnson at 6:50 pm on February 26th, 2006 #link
Re: #29 (Big Johnson) – I’m glad you’re feeling better.
Comment by Tim at 1:07 am on February 27th, 2006 #link
Hey, I was the one who just sent you an email. I figure i’ll probably leave a comment so you can reply either way. Can you tell me what will happen if i just eat a few pebbles of silica gel and how it’ll taste like? Thanks, kind of needing to know.
Comment by tracy at 2:25 pm on April 3rd, 2006 #link
MY SON EAT SOME SILICA GEL HES 3YRS WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO HIM HE IS 23 LBS
Comment by DIAMOND 1 at 8:42 pm on May 24th, 2006 #link
Hey folks, if your cat or pet eats some of this stuff, and you’re still worried about it, don’t post here… call the veterinarian instead. Same advice if your child eats some, except call a doctor, not the vet.
Comment by Tim at 12:05 am on May 25th, 2006 #link
You guys make my day- I never knew so many people in the world were dumb enough to actually eat silica gel. Thank you.
Comment by Cara at 2:16 am on September 3rd, 2006 #link
OMG this was so funny. But really my cat ate the stuff and I wish that I had seen this before I ran to the 24/7 emergency vet. This was funny… Thanks aagain.
Comment by lynn at 4:27 am on October 11th, 2006 #link
OMG, I cant believe that ppl are retarded enough to eat the “DO NO EAT PACKET”??? like what the hell, Thanks tim for being there for these ppl lol.. although reason I am looking at this site is cause my friend accidently ate a packet of this stuff out of a beef jerkey bag .. just seeing what was gonna happen to him.How it was an accident I am not sure. Thanks again funny site by the way..
Comment by Kt at 4:32 am on October 15th, 2006 #link
“At the annual China Robot Expo in Beijing in October, Zou Ren Ti, founder of the Xi’an Superman Sculpture Research Council, unveiled the third edition of a robot his team is developing that is supposed to look exactly like himself. While the mechanical Zou Ren Ti (named after the inventor, of course) can move its face and speak, its most impressive feature is its skin, which is made of silica gel and looks so lifelike that some expo attendees couldn’t tell the real Zou from his double….”
I just found this here: http://www.time.com/time/2006/techguide/bestinventions/inventions/toys5.html
btw, thank you for all this information on sillica.
regards, Bart (Netherlands)
Comment by Bart at 1:03 pm on November 13th, 2006 #link
Whew, I got really nervous when I found out my little dog got into this stuff… what a relief! I’ll keep an eye on him to make sure he’s drinking extra water.
Comment by Kate at 6:10 am on January 31st, 2007 #link
Who knew so many cats got into these things! Very helpful…thanks! My cat just ate three packets last night and I wanted to see if she would be alright.
Comment by Jenn at 2:47 pm on April 1st, 2007 #link
yeah… same story here. My cat just ate some and I flew into a panic and started checking the internet.
Comment by stephanie at 9:34 pm on July 19th, 2007 #link
Ok, so my 2 yr old son just ate a packet of this stuff. I called 911 and they put me through to poison control, and they said it is non-toxic and not to worry about it. But, I am not sure where the packet came from, does it matter?!?!?! Please, help me because I’m really scared and not to sure what else to do now……
Comment by Tiffany at 1:54 am on September 14th, 2007 #link
my dog is a miniature pinscher. (like a mini doberman) and im not sure.. but i think she ate a silica gel thing that came out of an excedrin bottle. and i was just worried of something would happen to her because she is so small. is there anything i need to look out for, or do. thank you, amanda.
Comment by Amanda at 9:11 pm on October 23rd, 2007 #link
Silica gel might not kill you, but it can also contain cobalt chloride, which may cause cancer. Google it to learn more.
Comment by Jason at 7:49 am on November 21st, 2007 #link
I love this site i love eating cilica gel you guys would all come over to my house and have a silica gel eating contest. I love you guys, you guys are my only friends. Lets be gay lovers me and all you other cilica gel eaters. Love you all talk to you guys later
Comment by John Cente at 6:01 pm on January 28th, 2008 #link
would eating silica gel kill you?
Comment by lulu at 1:53 am on May 13th, 2008 #link
I’ve tried all kinds of diets and none of them helped me to lose weight…and then I found silica gell. I eat a packet in the morning which handles my hunger until late afternoon. I then have a packet and half at lunch and one packet in the evening before bed. I’ve been on this diet for 6 weeks now and I’ve lost so much weight. Its a god send. Thankyou
Comment by Silica-Guru at 2:13 pm on May 30th, 2008 #link
I have some 10 month old puppies, 4 pounds apiece, and found little silica gel beads on the bed along with a tiny piece of a torn packet. I purchased a ton of drapery items and apparently, these packets are necessary for the packaging of fabric items (or a salesmen did one whale of a job, more likely). Just wanted to say thanks for the site, I started checking while on “hold” with the vet. Not knowing which baby was guilty or if all of them decided to partake in the silica eating ritual, I would have hauled on of them to the vet’s. You saved me some mega bucks! (I did read the part about absorbing toxic chemicals…and the packet is from China. I’ll keep a watchful eye on the ‘kids’ since China has a bit of a reputation for compromised manufacturing practices.)
Comment by Furbabies' mom at 6:51 pm on July 10th, 2008 #link
Thanks guys for the info I took a pregnancy test and behold I am pregnant and there was a little package in it and i some was on my hands and I went and ate some pizza so im going to be ok eh?
Comment by rachel at 1:49 am on September 4th, 2008 #link
you are all retarded. Kill yourself’s now, and save the world!
Comment by doh at 5:32 am on September 14th, 2008 #link
Good research, I reproduce comments at 46 (I’ve tried all kinds of diets and none of them helped me to lose weight…and then I found silica gell. I eat a packet in the morning which handles my hunger until late afternoon. I then have a packet and half at lunch and one packet in the evening before bed. I’ve been on this diet for 6 weeks now and I’ve lost so much weight. Its a god send. Thankyou) my comments HOW IT WAS MADE POSSIBLE TO EAT, AS THE STUFF IS A HARD CRYSTILINE AND IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO CHEW OR SWOLLOW)
Comment by zain at 8:53 am on October 7th, 2008 #link
my fren ate around 15 to 20 pebbles of silica gel…i’m scard sumthing ll happen..hw sure r u tat she ll b safe??sum1,pls help me…
Comment by maxi raj malaysia at 3:06 am on October 19th, 2008 #link
Rachel (comment #48) said: “Thanks guys for the info I took a pregnancy test and behold I am pregnant and there was a little package in it and i some was on my hands and I went and ate some pizza so im going to be ok eh?”
There was a little package in WHAT? And you ate off the hand that handled whatever the package was in??
Comment by Mapuia at 8:32 pm on October 25th, 2008 #link
LMAO! I found this website surfing the net looking for info on silica gel because my 10 month old Jack Shit, (Jack Russel/Shi Tzu), just ate some, (the little fkr chews everything!), and I figured before I panicked and paid an outrageous amount for an emergency vet visit I would check it out on the internet because you can find anything on here! I feel better now….especially after laughing my ass off! Thanks! Oh…I hope there’s no spelling errors in my post…I’d hate to have the grammar and spelling police (#19) knocking on my door this late at night! LMAO!
Comment by Angel at 3:27 am on October 27th, 2008 #link
PS….I believe “internet” should be capitalized….that’s what Spell Check always tells me….
Comment by Angel at 3:28 am on October 27th, 2008 #link
I think I also spelled fkr wrong….should I correct it?
Comment by Angel at 3:29 am on October 27th, 2008 #link
(t=0) dog swallowed silica packet…
(t=10min) dog still breathing, all vitals okay
(t=20min) dog begging for more silica packets
(t=22min) dog now walks on two legs
(t=26min) lip stuck on dry mouth, has difficulty producing tears
(t=29min) dog gives up on silica packets and turns to begging for ice cream
(t=30min) dog asleep…dreaming
Comment by buster at 6:12 am on November 24th, 2008 #link
i was so angry so i wanted to kill my self i ate this stuff and still now i didnt die.. so how many of thoes should i eat so i can die????
Comment by khaled at 6:41 pm on December 9th, 2008 #link
I have a silica addiction. I’m being honest. I used to eat chalk but I could find the brand thatI liked anymoreso I started eating silica gel. I go to like 5 stores every week and I take all the silca gel packets from all the bags and the shoeboxes and I eat them. I can’t stop eating them. Anyone else here have the same problem? Please don’t say anything ridiculous.
Comment by hihihi at 2:22 am on December 19th, 2008 #link
my damn roommate threw one of these packets at me and I said, fuck now my dog is going to eat it and so I picked it up and threw it away, but come to find out, one packet went unnoticed and my peke ate it! FUCK! I hope you’re right about this! I was on hold with the vet as well and I hung up and found this site… hope she is okay… and for the person on the silica gel diet…. good luck… peace
Comment by Cortney at 7:06 am on December 20th, 2008 #link
so my terrier/chihuahua ate some silica gel like an hour ago and shes been making bowel movements all over the house ever since. When will it stop?
Comment by megs at 3:12 am on January 6th, 2009 #link
My 2 year old toy poodle just ate some silica gells. he is normal after 1 hour. can anyone tell me if it will be harmfull for dogs? cause you guys talk bout cats but no dogs. please help me i am very worried right now. please message to my email please
Comment by Gary at 6:35 am on January 15th, 2009 #link
My cat Guierllmos just ate the insides of a silica packet i think i noticed too late. He seems fine..Will he be ok I really dont wanna spend a couple hundred dollars for no reason…
Comment by Tee at 9:51 pm on January 16th, 2009 #link
My labrador ate like 4 of those little paqueges of silica gel. Will he be ok?
Comment by Fiorella at 5:44 pm on February 2nd, 2009 #link
My 12 wk puppy had maybe 15-30 beads from a packet from my new purse, and he’s about 15-18 lbs. I was taking little beads from under his lips and gums….beads were falling out. But i’m not sure how much he swallowed….does he need to drink a lot of water?? You can email me at gaylehayes02 at yahoo dot com…Thanks!
Comment by Maria at 4:36 am on February 18th, 2009 #link
I came home tonight to find my dog mon-shing on an empty beef jerky bag as well as the silica gel packet. I flipped. After reading a few things on the web (thank you internets!)and discovering my roommate had left the beef jerky in his room over the weekend I realized the silica gel was, most likely, the reason my dog got a strange case of the runny poops yesterday and was drinking water like CraZy! She’s a big dog–60lbs–and although she is just fine I am preparing myself for another evening of urgent poops and copious amounts of water. BUT, yes, she is doing a-ok.
Comment by Shannon at 4:32 am on March 24th, 2009 #link
LOL some funny shit. Our puppy just ate a pack and we paniced until we found this and couldnt stop laughing. Thank you! #46 & #48… Lmfao
Comment by Cottonmouth pup at 4:42 am on April 10th, 2009 #link
typo– i mean 53 & 56 lmao
Comment by Cottonmouth pup at 4:46 am on April 10th, 2009 #link
i was on the pc n i turne around n saw my 9month year old son eating half the pack of silica gel, i paniced n washed his mouth out n fed him a bottle of milk n he juz went to sleep. IS HE GOING TO BE OKAY?? I NEED TO KNOW!!!!!
Comment by pj at 12:21 pm on July 22nd, 2009 #link
You guys crack me up. Thanks for the info. We just pulled an empty packet out of our cat’s mouth and started panicking. So naturally we looked online for feline first aid. Glad to know our furry friend will prolly be ok.
Comment by Suebie at 3:45 pm on August 25th, 2009 #link
Wow… Ya’ll are too damn funny! I just found an empty silica gel pkt in my 6mo old chichuahua’s bed… I started freaking for a sec, called the vet, and he said dont sweat it. Expect either diahrea or constipation for the rest of the day. For the record, he weighs only 5 lbs so I think those of you whose 50+ lb dogs enjoyed a silica special… my un-mathematical brain can still put those #’s together. And for those of you with actual human children that ate it… Most kids have med insurance. Get your rear out from in front of your comp and take him/her to the pediatrician. Dogs/cats… watch them and I’m sure they’ll be fine. Babies… Um, hello – ITS A BABY! GO TO THE DOC! I watch my dog eat bark, rocks… all sorts of shit but if my son did I would DEFINITELY go to the doc! Thanks for the half hour of entertainment… I;m so putting a link to this on my blog in my “Free Entertainment” section! xoxoxo
Comment by toddlermommy at 10:10 pm on January 2nd, 2010 #link
I’ve been eating these since I was a 6. I know what some of you are saying. Didn’t you read the warning? Yes I did but that made me want it even more.
I remember those good old days when I would eat them with some skittles and runts. Now that I am older my addiction has grown.
I am now homeless because I robbed a DSW Shoes just to get some sillies (that’s there name on the streets).
I then served some jail time where my addiction forced me to do some things that I’m not to proud of, sometimes it was just for one sillie (sighs).
I’m here now using the computers at a public library to get my story out to the world. I hope that 1 day I can shake this addiction and get back on my feet.
But hey I’m only 7 so until then S4L (Sillies for Life) P.S. I read some of the earlier comments about people asking about if there cats were going to be ok after eating some sillies.
Well trust me when I say that it’s not the cats you should worry about…. it’s you. I’ve seen some crazy stuff out here in the streets.
One day a cat got into my stash and transformed into a freaking lion. So beware. You might want to put them into a cage… a big cage before it’s too late.
-Little Timmy
Comment by Little Timmy at 2:07 am on February 21st, 2010 #link
I came home and found my dog had vomited silica and gotten into a bag of ground coffee i had stored in my closet for a present. I asked my Dad what shoul i do. but he said to get the dog a donut. but its not funny, seriously is he going to be okay? he ate silica and coffee grounds?
Comment by Mandy at 11:26 pm on April 8th, 2010 #link