Some people are claiming that potatoes – given enough time – can release noxious solanine gas, posing health risks to anyone in close proximity. But is this actually the case?
In a widely-shared recent post, one X (Twitter) user posted an image of their sister’s bedroom, explaining that the 8-year-old had taken to storing potatoes behind her bed.
While adorable, people were quick to suggest this could be more dangerous than it looks.
Though we wouldn’t go as far as saying they are “deadly asf” (store them properly and you don’t have anything to fear from mash), as potatoes go bad they can become toxic.
“Potatoes are such a common feature of the Western diet that most people are surprised to learn that they are the produce of a poisonous plant,” one team wrote in the British Medical Journal. “In fact, potato stems and leaves contain a series of alkaloidal glycosides, termed solanines, which are highly toxic.”
The main hazard comes from eating potatoes that have turned green.
“Greening and sprouting occur when potato tubers are exposed to light or are stored in adverse conditions, and these processes are associated with the production of the alkaloids,” the team continued. “Initially this occurs at the sites of increased metabolic activity, such as the ‘eyes’; but eventually solanines can be detected in the flesh of the tuber, and the normal, high concentration-gradient between the peel and the flesh is lost.”
In one incident described by the team, 78 schoolchildren in London, England, causing symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, fever, blood in the stool, and worse.
“Depression of the central nervous system occurred in the more serious cases, and several patients were comatose with episodes of convulsive twitching. These boys also showed signs of peripheral circulatory collapse, even when dehydration was only slight.”
In some cases, deaths have occurred, though there may have been other contributing factors including undernourishment and inadequate treatment.
Poisoning from potatoes is rare, and usually results from eating them. However, there are dubious reports that people have died from breathing in gas accumulated over time in poorly ventilated areas – although some have suggested this could have been due to other causes, such as asphyxiation due to pooled carbon dioxide.
There are reasons to be skeptical of such stories, particularly as cases in the medical literature all refer to ingestion. Plus, the melting point of solanine (while reported slightly differently by the teams who have studied it) is well above 200°C (392°F), making the release of it in gas form from potatoes unlikely in dangerous quantities.
“It is not only important to keep potatoes out of the light for long term storage, but those stored under the counter, in a basement or root cellar that have started to grow eyes and become mushy and rotten can be dangerous,” Michigan State University writes. The article goes on to suggest that “Rotting potatoes give off a noxious solanine gas that can make a person unconscious if they’ve inhaled enough. There have even been cases of people dying in their root cellars due to unbeknownst rotting potatoes.”
The confusion may potentially arise from the abbreviation of glycoalkaloids to “Gas” in scientific literature. It is still sensible, however, to store potatoes in a darkened room to prevent them from going bad, which could lead to greening and health problems should you ingest them.
Also, from a parent’s point of view, potatoes do not belong in your bedroom.
All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text, images, and links may be edited, removed, or added to at a later date to keep information current.
Source Link: People Appear To Believe Old Potatoes Release Deadly "Solanine Gas"