I got some fresh 100mg nic base on my hands once and didnt go wash it off. Obviously i didnt die but i felt woosey as hell about 5 minutes later. I ALWAYS wear gloves now even if im just making a small quick batch.
How much did you get on your hand?
I'll comment, though that isn't me above. I worked for a juice company, and we mixed without gloves. I've dropped nicotine on my arms, hands, pants, clothes, and had overdose symptoms from it a dozen times or so. From my experience, you can spill a good amount on you without it being FATAL, but the way it feels isn't fun at all. Also, I saw my boss pour a gallon of it on himself because he was holding it wrong. He washed off in the sink, went home and took a shower, and was still alive the next morning.
To be fair, We could have gotten lucky, and the story I am telling has no impact of the LD50 for nicotine. People should always overestimate the dangers of dangerous chemicals, and I will probably be downvoted for this comment.
Incase anyone was wondering, the pH of the nicotine solution matters quite a lot, too. The absorption of nicotine through various parts of your body is dependent on the physical state of the chemical.
If anyone is as curious as I was, here are some notes I took from a document I was researching:
i. Henningfield, et al. Tabacco Control 1995; 4: 57-61.
-
Through the mouth or lungs, nicotine can only be absorbed in its unionised form (free-base form), as only this form can cross through membranes.
-
The pKa of nicotine is 8.02. At this pH, half is ionized and the other half is in free-base form. For various brands of smokeless tobacco products, at pH of 6.6, free nicotine levels would be at 3%, whereas at pH 9.0, they would be at 91%.
-
Although all of the nicotine released into the saliva will likely eventually find its way absorbed through the mucosa, the amount of immediately-available free-base nicotine found in these products has a large impact on its addictive properties as the rate at which drugs are absorbed is an important determinant on their psychoactive and reinforcing effects.
-
saliva generally has a pH of 7.2-7.4, which could alter the bioavailability of overwise ionized nicotine.
As a chemist, I naturally find this stuff very interesting, especially seeing as I'm a nicotine user. I tried asking various companies who provide nicotine solutions to DIYers for any information on the chemical processes involved in the manufacture of their products, but no one yet has responded. The reason I started doing research on the physiological properties of nicotine was because I had a question about the pH of ejuice and the bioavailability of nicotine contained therein. It's still a work in progress.
Salinity can also have an impact on bioavailabilty of nicotine.
Ah, that's a factor I didn't necessarily take into account. It would definitely be something to take into consideration with everything else.
Interesting, not as bad as i thought. You'd have to have 5-10 ml of 100mg/ml completely soak your hands. Although, it would still fucking suck. Nic poisoning has to be one of the least comfortable experiences.
No, this indicates you would have to have 5-10 ml of 100mg/ml go into your stomach and be consumed.
Skin absorption is something less, although I don't know the math involved.
Nicotine, as an organic chemical, is completely and utterly absorbed by the body, even through the skin. The rate that this happens, however, is far slower than through the 'soft tissues' (eyes, mouth, lungs, stomach, etc).
Saying it's 'less absorbed' is dangerous and just plain wrong.
That portion that is in contact with your skin might be.
I don't know how efficiently nicotine is absorbed, or if that's affected by it being an organic chemical, but it may very well be 100%. You would still only absorb from the portion that is directly against your skin, requiring constant agitation, waiting for brownian motion and diffusion to move every molecule of nicotine through the medium until you contacted with it, or spreading it liberally, such as all over your stomach and chest.
This is good information to have. I like to think I'm careful when dealing with 100mg nic, but it's a good reminder to not fuck around. One "Oops the bottle just spilt in my lap" can mean bad news. Also big labels with "POISON - YOU WILL FUCKING DIE" helps.
So it's probably a terrible idea to attempt suicide with e-juice, good to know
Well, there was that one guy...
But yeah, even if you took enough to do the job, nicotine poisoning is a very unpleasant way to die, and not very quick, either.
This is way old - Nineteenth century???
Modern estimates the minimum quantities to 1800mg - 2250 mg for an adult.
Woozy after getting a little 100mg on your skin? Its in your head. It doesn't pass through the skin easily or quickly.