I just learned that botox is so toxic that it makes sarin gas look breathable, in fact according to the wikipedia list of toxins ordered by toxicity it is the single most dangerous toxin to life as we know it in the universe so far.
What on earth is done to it so that it can be injected into someones cheeks?
In: 279
As others have said, the botulism toxin itself is not modified, and is used locally for specific effect.
What makes it safe-ish is that the source of botox introduced to the body during treatment is finite and localized.
Labs produce botox by cultivating *Clostridium botulinum* bacteria. The toxin is isolated and collected, but the bacteria themselves are discarded. Botox injections contain no bacteria.
When a person is infected with Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria can continue to produce botulism toxin. The body tolerates small, finite amounts of botox, but becomes overwhelmed if infection produces botulism toxin faster than the body can neutralize it, or if emough toxin was introduced at the time of infection. Instead of being localized to an injection site, botulism toxicity can affect the whole body.
Edit: The bacteria that creates the botulism toxin does so only under anaerobic conditions. Nevertheless, uncontrolled introduction of botulism toxin through either infection, injection, or ingestion creates risk of much greater amounts of toxin being introduced to the body, which are not necessarily confined to specific and safe locations.
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