this post was submitted on 14 Apr 2025
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Hardly anything is less problematic than graphite. No idea why you think that is an issue.
What do you mean? Graphite can be fine or sharp, you saying it's fine to breathe in? I know I wouldn't want to breath in a broken tip of a pencil.
All this concern about particles when breathing in whole pencils is the most dangerous of all!
You're probably thinking "it's just carbon, nbd", but that doesn't mean it's good for your lungs:
https://www.inchem.org/documents/icsc/icsc/eics0893.htm
"Repeated or prolonged inhalation of dusts may cause effects on the lungs. This may result in graphite pneumoconiosis"
I mean water is toxic if you drink too much. The amount of dust of a pencil is negligible... now graphite from pencil production? Thats more concerning.
Translation: “my argument is lazy and not really well thought out, I’m not going to even acknowledge your point, I’m just gonna double down”
No it’s not. He said that the dose from writing with a pencil is trivial, but working in a factory that produces such pencils could potentially be dangerous, presumably because that’s a much higher sustained dose.
You want a long drawn out answer? Ok then. Simple fact, our world is naturally dirty, just go outside in spring and you'll breathe in untold amount of pollen everyday. Yet our lungs cope. How? By excreting mocus and its cilia to carry out foreign material out. However, if an excess amount of foreign material overwhlems the protections the lungs offers, then problems occurs. That of course ignores materials that are toxic, radioactive, or carcinogenic. So unless you are using a pencil made from pure carbon-14... its harmless.
If you wanted clarification or a ELI5, next time just ask instead of being passive agressive.