What in the world is silica?

Question

Ok. so me and my friend opened silica bags and clear ball things came out. It says not to eat them, we put them on the floor will it kill my cat if she eats them?

Answer 1

im not sure, but its definately dangerous i would call a vet if your cat ate them, those balls are put in clothes pockets to absorb moisture in the air that may damage clothes or cause mold an mildew in pockets

Answer 2

Silica in these bags is silica gel desiccant used to keep things dry while in the package. They are very high surface SiO2 materials. I made them from tetraethoxysilane and water and removed the ethanol diluent to make low density "glass" panes. While SiO2 is not itself toxic, it should NOT be ingested in any significant quantity. No telling what the manufacturers did with it and it is not rated edible. Interestingly you MAY have some in the refrigerator in your ice-cream as it is sometimes used to "EXTEND" the ingredients.

Answer 3

It's called silica gel and it is used to adsorb moisture.  It's not especially toxic.  Not to worry about your cat, it's basically a form of sand.

Answer 4

Why the heck would you do that??

Silica is something that usually comes in packages, instrument cases, or whatever. It's to minimize the friction and keep stuff from wearing out.

Answer 5

Silica, also known as Silicon Dioxide, is made up of several of the earths materials. It is not toxic itself, but is still not a good idea to eat. Silica and Silica Gel are put with packaging mainly to soak up moisture that may damage the product. Discourage any intake of Silica to any body, though it is only partially harmful in large amounts. It isn't toxic, but none the less is not very pleasant after eating. You can visit the website below to learn more.