<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> In <[log in to unmask]>, on 01/14/97 at 11:29 PM, Bill Elkus <[log in to unmask]> said: >>Phil Sheard <[log in to unmask]> said: >>>...I have >>>weighed a number of small objects to give you some sense of perspective >>on >these small amounts. Remember, in that discussion, 100mg of gluten >>per day >>>1 grain of white rice, uncooked, weighed 20mg >> depending on your point of >>view) of the acceptability of daily consumption somewhere between 10 and >>100 mg per day. I did this a while back when black specks showed up in that delicious yellow corn meal from Arrowhead that makes such good hot cereal. (Those particles are actually from the base of the corn kernel --called tips, pronounced teeps so no need to estimate mass but I did anyway.) I avoided weighing by measuring diameter and guessed that a density of water (1 gram/cm3) was close enough. Weight = density x volume. Consider this an approximate result, likely good within a factor of two or so. (More on the misleading terms "safe" and "risk" some other day. Any poison doesn't become suddenly safe below some level or dangerous above that level.) Justifying the density guess: density of fats is less than that of water, some proteins are denser. 1 mg. 1.4 mm diameter sphere 10 mg. 3.0 mm diameter sphere 100 mg. 6.3 mm diameter sphere All these small amounts are easily visible (look at an everyday ruler with mm. markings). Useful when you can see contamination particles in a product. (If you're puzzled at how slowly the diameter changes with mass, volume depends on the product of three lengths. Double + a little a diameter and volume and mass go up by 10 (and conversly for halving).) Results consistent with Phil's measurements. Don't eats M&Ms but suspect they're denser than water from handling them once. Kemp Randolph Long Island ----------------------------------------------------------- [log in to unmask] -----------------------------------------------------------