Nintendo puts a "bittering agent" on game cards so people don't stick them in their mouths

boing
21

Physical and chemical properties
APPEARANCE: Crystaline powder
COLOR: White granules
ODOR/TASTE: Odorless, bitter taste
BOILING POINT (°C, Interval): N/A Pressure: N/A
DENSITY/SPECIFIC GRAVITY (g/ml): N/A Temperature (°C): N/A
VAPOR PRESSURE: N/A Temperature (°C): N/A
SOLUBILITY DESCRIPTION: 1:20 @ 20 °C
FLASH POINT (°C): N/A Method: CC (Closed cup)
AUTO IGNITION TEMPERATURE (°C): N/A
FLAMMABILITY LIMIT – LOWER (%): N/A
FLAMMABILITY LIMIT – UPPER (%): N/A

Stability and reactivity
STABILITY: Product stable up to 140°C
CONDITIONS TO AVOID: None known
MATERIALS TO AVOID: Certain strong oxidizing agents such as Sodium Hypochlorite and Hydrogen Peroxide
HAZARDOUS DECOMP PRODUCTS: Nitorgen oxides are formed when denatonium benzoate decomposes on heating or when involved in fire

Toxicology information
Toxicity Data:
Oral LD50 (Female Rat) 584 mg/kg
Oral LD50 (Male Rat) 640 mg/kg
Oral LD50 (Rat) >2000 mg/kg
INHALATION: Only one known case of toxic effect in man from denatonium benzoate causing asthmatic persons who are allergic to Lignocaine or some similar anesthetics may also react to denatonium benzoate and should therefore avoid contact with the material.
INGESTION: Bitterest substance know to man. No information on adverse effects.
SKIN: Low skin sensitivity potential and therefore may be mildly irritating to skin.
EYES: No information available

Ecological Information
Denatonium does not bio-accumulate
LC50 Rainbow Trout: >1000 mg/l 96 hrs in fresh water
LC50 Shrimp: 400 mg/l 96 hrs in salt water

So if you get some in your eyes, take careful notes just in case.

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Wait, what?

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Ok, every other copy I’ve found since doesn’t include the third rat value, so I assume it was a mistake. (many just list the lower rat value and leave out the gender info)

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Parent’s number one rule for me playing board games:
Don’t stick the pieces in your mouth.

(I don’t know how I survived lead minatures.)

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thx for the msds

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We had this chemistry professor. Deep Southern accent (unusual to our ears then in NYC). Great teacher. In lab one day he caught one student who was in the process of sticking his nose into a beaker that was loaded with stuff giving off a cyanide odor. Yells our prof: “STOP! THAT STUFF’S WORSE ‘AN HORSE-SHIT! WAFT IT, BOY! WAFT IT!”

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I bet far more people have stuck these things in their mouths as a direct result of this news than otherwise would have if Nintendo had never embittered them.

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Well yeah, nobody expects you to after eating all that lead . :upside_down_face:

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