How dangerous is taking a bath in Coca Cola?

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Cola and soft drink products are generally in the pH=2.5-3.5 range. This is the same pH range as vinegar, lemon juice and most fruit juices. Note apple itself is around 3.0-3.5, so it is not about some magical trick of food industry to kill us all.

Does Cola dissolve your body traceless? No. Do you want to soak your body in it for hours? Would you soak your body in vinegar for hours? Or even water...

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fedorqui
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fedorqui

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Updated on August 11, 2020

Comments

  • fedorqui
    fedorqui about 3 years

    What can be the effects for the body to be immersed in Coca Cola for a while? A friend commented me that the coke is quite acidic (pH 2.5 if I recall properly), and we were guessing what could be the effects for the body after a time of immersion.

    I read 20 Practical Uses for Coca Cola – Proof That Coke Does Not Belong In The Human Body and I see some things like:

    E338 – Orthophosphoric Acid. This can cause irritation of the skin and eyes.

    But I am guessing: what are the problems of a long contact of coke with the body - not drinking, but being in touch with it.

    • Dissenter
      Dissenter over 9 years
      I wouldn't put too much stock into the link. For example, the link says that the stomach releases "calcium" to neutralize acids. This doesn't make any sense; elemental calcium has no acid/base properties. Calcium ion actually behaves as a weak Bronsted acid in solution. I'm thinking the author meant some form of bicarbonate ion - a common biological buffer ion.
    • Dissenter
      Dissenter over 9 years
      And what do you know, I knew it. "The stomach is protected by the epithelial cells, which produce and secrete a bicarbonate-rich solution that coats the mucosa. Bicarbonate is alkaline, a base, and neutralizes the acid secreted by the parietal cells, producing water in the process. This continuous supply of bicarbonate is the main way that your stomach protects itself from autodigestion (the stomach digesting itself) and the overall acidic environment." - health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/digestive/…
    • jonsca
      jonsca over 9 years
      I would take anything you read on that blog with a grain of salt. I've examined a few of the scientific papers they've cited in other articles and they definitely cherry pick their data.
    • fedorqui
      fedorqui over 9 years
      @jonsca thanks for clarifying that I shouldn't rely much on that blog article. It was the thing I found as source to coke vs human body, so I'm willing to see if someone can provide further (and more reliable!) information.
    • jonsca
      jonsca over 9 years
      No, it's a fine question to ask from a safety point of view, that was just an aside :)
    • fedorqui
      fedorqui over 9 years
      @Dissenter to make it more clear to me (I have very basic understanding on Chemistry): would the damage on the skin be bigger based on how much acid the coke is? What's the natural defense of the body agains this acid? Thanks for clarifying with your comments!
    • Dissenter
      Dissenter over 9 years
      The acid would likely dehydrate your skin by taking all the moisture (specifically, water) and turning it into hydronium ion. Note that sulfuric acid (which is admittedly exponentially stronger than Coke as an acid) is a potent dehydrating agent. That is its main danger.
    • MSalters
      MSalters about 9 years
      Hydrochloric acis is probably more likely than Orthophosphoric acid to cause irritation of the eyes and skin. Yet the former is the acid in your stomach. What's missing from the article: concentration. That is an inexcusable omission.