Silica gel can absorb a lot of water – 3 times its weight – and even when it is holding water, it remains dry to touch and can be reused after heating for about 2 hours.
So, manufacturers of certain food and commercial goods keep it inside the packaging to prevent moisture from damaging the products.
Silica gel is chemically inert, which means it will not react with anything inside our body and is, therefore, highly unlikely to cause poisoning.
Most often, it will pass through the body without causing any harm.
However, because it is inert and won’t breakdown, it may cause choking (imagine it being stuck somewhere in your throat and no water or soda is able to break it down) and thus death.
15 deaths were reportedly caused by consumption of silica gel between 2011 and 2017, mostly because of choking.
And, an elderly male was found to have developed a severe swallowing problem because of silica gel’s consumption.
Also, since it absorbs water, it may cause dehydration if consumed in a very high quantity.
Absorbent qualities of silica gel also mean that we can never be sure of what all it absorbed before it landed in the packaging in front of us.
For this reason, too, it may be risky to consume it.
