DOES ANYONE KNOW Is iodine poisonous to humans?

Question

Just settling a family arguement!

Answer 1

It depends on the concentration and the amount...

In gaseous state, it's poisonous and can kill you if you breathe it in too much.

In solid state, well...it's like, little round balls so if you like..sniff it or something, well...that'll obviously not be good...shouldn't be eaten either.

In hospitals, they use iodine in liquid form [low concentration though] as antiseptic before surgery etc as it's a good oxidising agent [kills germs etc on skin].

Answer 2

Iodine itself is a poisonous gas, as are the related halogens chlorine, fluorine, and bromine. However, as with chlorine, the salts or negatively charged ions of iodine (iodides) are soluble in water, and iodine is essential to life in trace amounts. Plants do not need iodine, but humans require it for the production of thyroid hormones that regulate the metabolic energy of the body and set the basal metabolic rate (BMR).

The body contains about 25 mg. of iodine. A small percentage of this is in the muscles, 20 percent is in the thyroid, and the rest is in the skin and bones. Only 1 percent is present in the blood. The concentration of iodine in the thyroid gland is very high, more than 1,000 times that in the muscles. Approximately one-fourth of thyroid iodine is in the two main thyroid hormones, T4 (thyroxine) and T3 (triiodothyronine). Thyroxine itself is nearly two-thirds iodine. The remainder is in the precursor molecules of these two important hormones.

Iodine is well absorbed from the stomach into the blood. About 30 percent goes to the thyroid gland, depending on the need. Iodine is eliminated rapidly. Most of the remaining 70 percent is filtered by the kidneys into the urine. Our bodies do not conserve iodine as they do iron, and we must obtain it regularly from the diet. There is recent concern that perhaps iodine is being overconsumed, especially in iodized salt. The incidence of goiter has been rising again, however, so there may be factors other than iodine involved in this problem.

Sources: The life from ocean waters provides the best source of iodine. Fish, shellfish, and sea vegetables (seaweed) are dependably rich sources. Cod, sea bass, haddock, and perch are a few examples of iodine-rich sea animals consumed by humans; kelp is the most common, high-iodine sea vegetable. Kelp in particular is rich in other minerals and low in sodium and thus is a good seasoning substitute for salt.

But don't ever think to eat pure iodine because its lethal

Answer 3

ANYTHING can kill you....oxygen can kill you....thats 100% oxygen for a period of time will kill you!

Iodine will kill you if you have the concentration its lethal or dangerous.

You need trace amounts of it in our diet ( mineral)/.

Answer 4

Look at your table salt.  It says, "iodonated."  That means it has iodine added.  The reason they put iodine in salt is that it is essential for our bodies and, in North America, we tend not to get enough of it without adding it to our table salt.

It is needed to make thyroxine, the hormone produced by our thyroid gland.  That hormone is involved in maintaining body temperature, body fat composition, hair/skin/nail integrity, and the normal functions of the intestines and female organs.

On the other hand, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.  Consuming a large quantity of iodine in a short time period (e.g. drinking the antiseptic bottle) can make you very ill and could kill you.

Answer 5

It's recommended for women trying to get pregnant, as a supplement. But, like most things, when taken in excess it can cause problems.

Answer 6

To the best of my knowledge no...iodine is used in dyes for medical procedures.  Some people who are allergic to iodine and are therefore unable to have these types of dyes used when they have these procedures.  This is the only time where it could be considered poisonous-in the case of an allergic reaction.

Answer 7

Science Teacher and some others gave you the right answer.     Yes it is poisonous.    Your body does need a small amount, however, but it is not pure Iodine.   Pure iodine at room temperature is a dark crystaline substance.   It does form many compounds though, like sodium iodide or potassium iodide, which are not quite so poisonous, but even those would kill you if you ate very much.    Of course, pure sodium would kill you also, if you were to swallow much of it, yet you can swallow sodium chloride.

Answer 8

im sorry ive entered a histoty..book...!!!!!!!!.....im sorry  no vacancy i guess....just look at da answers im gonna faint.....oh my god.....why do you ask such...a question.......!!!!!!!

Answer 9

The answer is yes. As a gas breathing it can be quite noxious.

As a solid it is a blue black crystal but sublimes to a purple gas a just above room temperature.

In the hospital it is used as a tincture, which means dissolved in alcohol because it does kill germs on the skin. Betadine is a commercial variety. It is still deadly if taken internally.

However, your thyroid gland does need iodine everyday. This is obtained from seafood or iodized salt. It is needed to prevent goiter, swelling of the thyroid gland that controls the rate that you metabolize food.Thyroxin is the hormone produced by the thyroid , it contains iodine. A small amount is needed, too much can kill.