Sodium hydroxide may best be termed caustic rather than toxic. As a poison,
it is no worse than sodium bicarbonate, it's just getting it down without
destroying you esophagus is the trick.
The problem is that the terminology is so imprecise. Poisonous or toxic
doesn't really mean much on the surface. What really bothers me are the
more insidious chemicals that cause cancer and mutations and lurk in your
body for years and years and then take a whack at you. Lead, cadmium,
selenium, arsenic, etc. Those fellows are sneaky. Some of the chlorinated
hydrocarbons are also mean and nasty, but we don't ordinarily use those in
alt-photo
I have no fear of tasting oxalic acid and I've done it on occasion to
determine if it is oxalic acid or citric acid and only if I know that is
the only two options.
--Dick Sullivan
At 04:53 PM 5/14/98 -0600, Bob_Maxey@mtn.3com.com wrote:
>>>In
>> solution, of course, there would be no airborne contamination, but
>> potassium oxalate, oxalic acid, and potassium hydroxide are all
>extremely
>> toxic when taken internally.
>
>
>You still must be carefu;ll
>