I heard that children have OD‘d and died by taking just 2 or 3 iron pills.How many mg of iron will kill an adult?
yes 20 to 30mg is killing
Normally a vitamin wouldn't kill anyone from taking too much. It may make them somewhat sick feeling, but not kill them. Usually your body will ingest the amount that it needs and then just get rid of any excess. Too much iron could cause serious constipation though
Iron toxicity can be classified as corrosive or cellular. Corrosive toxicity: Iron is an extremely corrosive substance to the GI tract. It acts on the mucosal tissues and can manifest with nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, hematemesis, and diarrhea; patients may become hypovolemic because of significant fluid and blood loss. Cellular toxicity: The absorption of excessive quantities of ingested iron results in systemic iron toxicity. Severe overdose causes impaired oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial dysfunction, which can result in cellular death. The liver is one of the organs most affected by iron toxicity, but other organs such as the heart, kidneys, lungs, and the hematologic systems also may be impaired. End result of corrosive and cellular toxicity is significant metabolic acidosis due to several factors. - Hypoperfusion due to significant volume loss, vasodilatation, and negative inotropic effect of iron will result in lactic acidosis. - Inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation will promote anaerobic metabolism. Individuals demonstrate signs of GI toxicity after ingestion of more than 20 mg/kg. Moderate intoxication occurs when ingestion of elemental iron exceeds 40 mg/kg. Ingestions exceeding 60 mg/kg can cause severe toxicity and may be lethal.
