Pets - Toxicology answer?
I posted my technology question to an online board and got this response from Jeff Suchard, the toxicologist and excellent Jeopardy! player who gave Ken Jennings a real scare on Monday 10/4:
One of two possible responses is correct:
1) The poison secreted by the fire-bellied toad is the second most potent toxin known to man (after botulinum toxin), with an LD50 in the range of 1-5 ng/kg in most mammalian species. Extreme caution is required to handle these creatures, and neoprene gloves are recommended when cleaning their cages/terraria/etc. Flushing a single dead toad down the toilet is not very likely to contaminate drinking water in the entire Great Lakes watershed area, although a localized fish-kill may be observed.
2) Don't worry about it.
One of two possible responses is correct:
1) The poison secreted by the fire-bellied toad is the second most potent toxin known to man (after botulinum toxin), with an LD50 in the range of 1-5 ng/kg in most mammalian species. Extreme caution is required to handle these creatures, and neoprene gloves are recommended when cleaning their cages/terraria/etc. Flushing a single dead toad down the toilet is not very likely to contaminate drinking water in the entire Great Lakes watershed area, although a localized fish-kill may be observed.
2) Don't worry about it.
posted by +Bob at 11:43 PM
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