• Question: What is the most deadly element in the periodic table??

    Asked by TerBium to Dawn, David on 20 Jun 2016. This question was also asked by CCK.
    • Photo: Dawn Lau

      Dawn Lau answered on 20 Jun 2016:

      There are many elements that are dangerous. For example arsenic and lead poisoning are pretty terrible! Though I think the elements with the greatest potential for harm are the radioactive elements, particularly plutonium. They might not kill you immediately, unless you get a very large dose, but plutonium is super toxic and super radioactive. The atomic bomb (containing plutonium) that dropped in Nagasaki, Japan, killed an estimated 35,000-40,000 people right away. In total, about 60,000-80,000 people were estimated to have died, including from long-term effects of radiation.

    • Photo: David Robertson

      David Robertson answered on 20 Jun 2016:

      I like Dawn’s answer.

      If I can slightly bend your question, the most dangerous compound is probably H2O (I know it is a compound not an element). It is probably the one single compound that kills more people than any other. About 400 people a year drown in the UK, so water is dangerous stuff.

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