Gel Silica? I don't understand.

Question

Why do they put those packets of gel silica in almost everything you buy if it's harmful?

Answer 1

Silica gel is a granular, porous form of silica made synthetically from sodium silicate. Despite the name, silica gel is a solid.

Silica gel is most commonly encountered in everyday life as beads packed in a semi-permeable plastic. In this form, it is used as a desiccant to control local humidity in order to avoid spoilage of some goods. Because of poisonous additives (see below) and their very high adsorption of moisture, silica gel packets usually bear warnings for the user not to eat the contents. If consumed, the pure silica gel is unlikely to cause acute or chronic illness, but would be problematic nonetheless. However, some packaged desiccants may include fungicide and/or pesticide poisons. This would not occur in food packaging Food-grade desiccant should not include any poisons which would cause long-term harm to humans if consumed in the quantities normally included with the items of food.

Additives:

Alone, silica gel is non-toxic, non-flammable and chemically unreactive. However, some of the beads may be doped with a moisture indicator, such as cobalt(II) chloride, which is toxic and may be carcinogenic. Cobalt (II) chloride is deep blue when dry (anhydrous) and pink when moist (hydrated).

Crystalline silica dust can cause silicosis but synthetic amorphous silica gel is non-friable, and so does not cause silicosis.

Answer 2

go eat an mre heater and quit complaining about your little silica packets.

Answer 3

They help to keep stuff fresh, I think. They absorb moisture.