[pfdietz]

What is your evidence that microparticles from cotton are not also toxic?

[cubefox]

They are ordinary, biodegradable, organic plant material, things to which our bodies are accustomed to for millions of years. You might as well ask whether grass is toxic.

[pfdietz]

The human body does not contain enzymes that digest cellulose. So how is this degradation to occur?

Fungal attack on woody biomass involves chemicals you do not want in your body. The attack involves extremely reactive hydroxyl radicals, for example.

Being accustomed to something doesn't mean the thing doesn't hurt us.

[cubefox]

> The human body does not contain enzymes that digest cellulose. So how is this degradation to occur?

Mostly outside the body, before ingestion occurs.

> Being accustomed to something doesn't mean the thing doesn't hurt us.

I disagree. Evolution had the last ~360 million years (that's about how old cellulose is I believe) to evolve mechanisms to protect our body from cellulose particles.

[pfdietz]

Evolution has had the last ~360 million years for us to evolve enzymes to digest cellulose. And yet we can't.

> Mostly onside the body, before ingestion occurs.

This is an obviously silly statement. Of course cellulose can be ingested in various ways, including extremely small particles.

[userbinator]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byssinosis