This week Reactions is looking at the chemistry of Halloween candy, and how much of it can kill you. Ah, sweet, sugary, science!

For those of you out there who want to figure out the oral LD50 for yourself fill in the variable “W” with your own weight in pounds:

(W*13.5)/9.3 = PIECES OF FUN SIZED CANDY

(W*13.5)/1.5 = PIECES OF CANDY CORN

Post your results down in the comments. Happy Halloween!

Reality check: Experts agree that you’d never be able to ingest enough candy to hit the LD50 of sucrose in humans (since you have to eat it all at once, which you wouldn’t be able to do without vomiting). Also, the average person in the U.S. eats candy about 2-3 times per week. As with everything, moderation is key!

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Writer & Producer:
Kirk Zamieroski

Executive Producer:
Adam Dylewski

Scientific consultants:
Hans Plugge, Ph.D.
Kyle Nackers
Alison Le

SOURCES:

Sucrose LD50 – https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+500

NCA Candy Consumption Habit surveys – http://www.candyusa.com/news/americans-stay-sweet-on-halloween-by-embracing-moderation/

2016 Halloween Sales Estimates by NRF – https://nrf.com/media/press-releases/halloween-spending-reach-84-billion-highest-survey-history

AHA Suggested Added Sugars Per Day – http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Nutrition/Added-Sugars_UCM_305858_Article.jsp#.V_bAmrTMyfQ

AHA Scientific Statement – http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/circulationaha/120/11/1011.full.pdf

CDC Average American – http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/body-measurements.htm

Average intake of Americans – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19704096

How the Body Breaks Sugar down – http://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-7075-9-89

A brief history of Sucrose and what it does ot the body -https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/brainwaves/is-sugar-really-toxic-sifting-through-the-evidence/

Adypocytes & Obesity – http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1001436

Sugars and Obesity – http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/78/4/850S.full

Nutrition of Most Popular Halloween Candies – http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Calories-Halloween-Candy-Fun-Size-Treats-5452936

Glycogen storage – http://chemistry.elmhurst.edu/vchembook/547glycogen.html

Sugar in Candy corn – http://www.brachs.com/products/candy-corn/

Compound Chem LD50 – http://www.compoundchem.com/2014/07/27/lethaldoses/

Forbes Infographic of Sugar Consumption – http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2012/08/30/how-much-sugar-are-americans-eating-infographic/#2f2886a61f71

Ever wonder why dogs sniff each others’ butts? Or how Adderall works? Or whether it’s OK to pee in the pool? We’ve got you covered: Reactions a web series about the chemistry that surrounds you every day.

Reactions is produced by the American Chemical Society.