between 1 and 3 years

How Dangerous Is Silica Gel? Silica gel is nearly harmless outside of the body, which is it’s used with the products you buy. Silica is the same material found in Quartz, and it’s essentially porous sand. Eating one packet may not kill you, but the side effects that come with that one packet aren’t worth it.

Used to adsorb gas, moisture vapor, or odor. These desiccant packs come in varieties of silica gel, activated carbon, clay, and molecular sieve.

Silica gel particles don’t expire, per se. Their function is to act as a desiccant and assuming they haven’t become saturated with moisture, they will continue to be useful indefinitely. However, once they become saturated with moisture, they no longer have any desiccant properties.

We recommend that a desiccant be replaced once every three years for open-cycle systems and once every two years for closed-cycle systems. A desiccant may degrade more quickly depending on the environment where it is used. Dew point temperatures offer a good indication for when to replace your desiccant.

every two years

Possible Complications. While silica beads are inert and nontoxic, your pup may experience mild gastrointestinal upset after ingestion. If your dog ingests silica bead packets, monitor him for signs of intestinal obstruction. These include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and loss of appetite.

Q: Is it a threat to dogs? A: No true toxicity risk exists from exposure to silica gel packets. The beads do not enlarge in the stomach and the exterior packaging is usually soft and presents little risk of injury of obstruction.

EFFECTS OF TOXICITY Silica gel is not thought to be toxic, but it can cause an obstruction if ingested by a cat.

Silica gel packs, although inedible, are not poisonous to felines, according to the ASPCA. If a cat for some reason accidentally eats one of these packs, she may experience some very slight tummy troubles.

Silica gel packets If ingested by dogs, mild gastrointestinal (GI) signs (an upset stomach) are possible. Though silica gel is chemically and biologically inert, the main risk is that packets can potentially cause an obstruction in the intestines if the whole packet is swallowed, especially in small dogs.

Inhaling crystalline silica can lead to serious, sometimes fatal illnesses including silicosis, lung cancer, tuberculosis (in those with silicosis), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In addition, silica exposure has been linked to other illnesses including renal disease and other cancers.

If the small pack was a pack of silica gel, it will do no harm at all. It is completely nontoxic. Although the little packet says “do not eat” this is because of risk of choking if someone tries to swallow the whole packet.