1. Which one of the following should you take to relieve nasal and sinus congestion?

   A	B	C

   ---

2. One of the deadliest radioactive isotopes is ²¹⁰Po (Polonium-210). It is a strong alpha emitter with a half-life of 128 days. Polonium metal is also rather volatile, with a melting point of 255 degrees C, making it a particularly deadly component of tobacco smoke (inhaling alpha emitters is not a very good idea). Fortunately, polonium is found only in minute amounts in Nature.

   Polonium is so radioactive that a 0.50 gram sample will reach temperatures greater than 500 degrees all by itself. The radiation energy is so great that an amount too small to see would be a lethal dose!

   Let's compare polonium to hydrogen cyanide (which can kill you in a few minutes at 300 ppm in air). How many times more toxic than hydrogen cyanide is polonium?

   100 56,000 78,950,000 1,000,000,000 250,000,000,000

   ---

3. Match these names to the molecules shown below:

   AZT ?ABCDEFGHIJ	Caffeine ?ABCDEFGHIJ	Cholesterol ?ABCDEFGHIJ	Cocaine ?ABCDEFGHIJ	DDT ?ABCDEFGHIJ
   Estrogen ?ABCDEFGHIJ	Nitroglycerine ?ABCDEFGHIJ	Novocaine ?ABCDEFGHIJ	Penicillin ?ABCDEFGHIJ	Testosterone ?ABCDEFGHIJ

   ---

4. For each item in the table, select the estimated number of Americans (apologies to our foreign visitors) that die each year from each of the following:

   Lightning Strikes	none1-5050-200200-1,0001,000-10,00010,000-100,000100,000-400,000400,000+
   Silicone Breast Implants	none1-5050-200200-1,0001,000-10,00010,000-100,000100,000-400,000400,000+
   Firearms	none1-5050-200200-1,0001,000-10,00010,000-100,000100,000-400,000400,000+
   Dioxin	none1-5050-200200-1,0001,000-10,00010,000-100,000100,000-400,000400,000+
   Smoking	none1-5050-200200-1,0001,000-10,00010,000-100,000100,000-400,000400,000+
   Allergic reactions	none1-5050-200200-1,0001,000-10,00010,000-100,000100,000-400,000400,000+
   AIDS	none1-5050-200200-1,0001,000-10,00010,000-100,000100,000-400,000400,000+
   Food poisoning	none1-5050-200200-1,0001,000-10,00010,000-100,000100,000-400,000400,000+

   ---

5. Most people have heard that if a rat eats a substance that makes it sick, the rat will avoid that substance in the future (something many of us learn about with alcohol...). Therefore, one has to be clever in designing a rat poison.

   Warfarin is a particularly effective rat poison even though it is not what one normally considers highly toxic. It doesn't work like traditional poisons, so rats will eat a bait containing a sub-lethal dose and then come back for more.

   Curiously, warfarin is widely prescribed for medical use in humans ("the dose makes the poison")! Which one of these medical conditions can not be treated effectively with warfarin?

   Stroke

   Atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat)

   Deep vein thrombosis

   Pulmonary embolism

   Breast cancer

   

   ---

6. Rank these five items in order of lowest (1) to highest (6) toxicity:

   Tetrodotoxin (Fugu)	?6 (most toxic)54321 (least toxic)
   Nicotine	?6 (most toxic)54321 (least toxic)
   Strychnine	?6 (most toxic)54321 (least toxic)
   Ibuprofen	?6 (most toxic)54321 (least toxic)
   Sarin	?6 (most toxic)54321 (least toxic)
   Ethyl alcohol	?6 (most toxic)54321 (least toxic)

   ---

7. The active ingredient in the popular over-the-counter antihistamine, Benadryl(tm), is diphenhydramine, shown here on the right. Diphenhydramine is also the active ingredient in what other popular medication?

   Nytol(tm), a sleeping pill Midol(tm), a PMS treatment Tylenol(tm), a headache remedy Ex-Lax(tm), a laxative Prozac(tm), an antidepressant

   ---

8. Phenolphthalein is an acid-base indicator. It turns pink above pH 8.5 and is colorless below that (more on the pH scale here). Phenolphthalein had another use until recently, when it was discovered to cause cancer when used excessively over long periods of time. What was this use?

   Hair dye Food preservative Laxative Disinfectant Breath freshener

   ---

9. Phenylalanine is an amino acid (see the color coding, below) that is used by the body as a precursor to other amino acids, neurotransmitters etc. Phenylalanine is not produced by the body, so we must obtain it from dietary sources such as eggs, milk and nuts. Unfortunately, 1 out 16,000 of us has a hereditary disorder called phenylketonuria (PKU), an inability to properly metabolize phenylalanine. This is particularly dangerous in children as the excess buildup of phenylalanine can interfere with brain development. For this reason, all children are tested for PKU shortly after birth. With proper dietary modifications, people with PKU can lead normal lives.

   Recently, a popular new consumer food ingredient was introduced. One of its main components is phenylalanine, posing a risk to people with PKU who might unwittingly consume it. For this reason, the FDA requires that any product containing this ingredient to include a PKU warning. For the rest of the population, this food ingredient appears to be perfectly safe.

   What is this ingredient?

   Olestra(tm), an artificial fat Ginkgo balboa, a "dietary supplement" St. John's Wort, an herbal remedy Aspartame, an artificial sweetener Bovine growth hormone

   ---

10. In the early 1800's a wonderful green pigment called Paris Green was invented. It was used for all sorts of consumer products, including wallpaper. Unfortunately, Europe has a cool damp climate that is conducive to molds. Some of these molds could biomethylate (react with) Paris Green to produce a toxic gas called trimethylarsine. Extended exposure to this gas in a closed room caused illness or death. Many of the people sickened by their exposure to trimethylarsine stayed in their bedrooms with the windows shut to recover...yep, those bedrooms with the green wallpaper, alas. In this case, getting a little bed rest was a very bad idea!!

    Which of these is the chemical composition of Paris Green?

    CH₃COOH
    CuCO₃^.Cu(OH)₂
    [Co(NH₃)₅Cl]Cl₂
    2Cu(O₂CH₃)₂^.3Cu(AsO₂)₂
    o-C₆H₄(COOH)(OOCH₃)
    

[Return to the Fun Page]   [The MSDS Quiz]   [ILPI Home Page]

We have dozens of humorous signs like this one as well as a lot of serious lab and safety equipment at Safety Emporium.

Copyright 1999-2025 by Interactive Learning Paradigms Incorporated. All rights reserved.
This page was last updated: Sunday, June 12, 2016 and has been used 167789 times since May 30, 1999.
View our privacy policy.       Questions? Comments? Send us an email.