eating plastic by accident
November 4, 2004 10:03 AM Subscribe
I just accidentily swallowed a small piece of plastic from the plastic wrap around a plastic spoon.
Am I going to die?
Am I going to die?
Am I going to die?
Yes.
Er, in the "we're-all-going-to-die-someday" sense. But will you die from the plastic wrap? No. The plastic is more-or-less inert to the stuff in your body, and will pass through undigested.
I suppose, if it was large enough, it could conceivably get stuck somewhere and start obstructing things. But if you can describe it as "a small piece" that's not going to happen. (And even if it did, it's not like you'd die instantly with no warning. You'd know something was wrong within a few days and have plenty of time to get yourself to a hospital then.)
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 10:18 AM on November 4, 2004
Yes.
Er, in the "we're-all-going-to-die-someday" sense. But will you die from the plastic wrap? No. The plastic is more-or-less inert to the stuff in your body, and will pass through undigested.
I suppose, if it was large enough, it could conceivably get stuck somewhere and start obstructing things. But if you can describe it as "a small piece" that's not going to happen. (And even if it did, it's not like you'd die instantly with no warning. You'd know something was wrong within a few days and have plenty of time to get yourself to a hospital then.)
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 10:18 AM on November 4, 2004
Yes.
This would be a good time to leave me all your money in your will. I will take good care of it; I promise.
posted by madman at 10:44 AM on November 4, 2004
This would be a good time to leave me all your money in your will. I will take good care of it; I promise.
posted by madman at 10:44 AM on November 4, 2004
No.
When I was in kindergarten I decided to impress my friends by making a sandwich bag disappear. I swallowed it. They were impressed. I am still alive at 26 years. I don't know if it ever came out the other side -- I'm not into picking through feces.
I did once watch a TV show about sharks and how terrible it was that they were finding garbage bags and such inside their stomachs, and that they were dying of this. Well, I'm not dying. I don't know if it's still in there or not, though. :-)
HTH.
posted by shepd at 11:10 AM on November 4, 2004
When I was in kindergarten I decided to impress my friends by making a sandwich bag disappear. I swallowed it. They were impressed. I am still alive at 26 years. I don't know if it ever came out the other side -- I'm not into picking through feces.
I did once watch a TV show about sharks and how terrible it was that they were finding garbage bags and such inside their stomachs, and that they were dying of this. Well, I'm not dying. I don't know if it's still in there or not, though. :-)
HTH.
posted by shepd at 11:10 AM on November 4, 2004
Response by poster: Thanks for the non-snarky answers. No thanks to the opposite.
posted by agregoli at 11:27 AM on November 4, 2004
posted by agregoli at 11:27 AM on November 4, 2004
It wasn't a small piece of plastic, but I know this old lady who swallowed a...well, long story short: she died.
posted by Guy Smiley at 2:44 PM on November 4, 2004
posted by Guy Smiley at 2:44 PM on November 4, 2004
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by matteo at 10:05 AM on November 4, 2004