Most glitter is made up of crushed bronze, tin, copper, and sometimes zinc or stearin used as a binding agent. All these substances can be toxic if inhaled or ingested in large amounts. A 3-year-old girl in Argentina recently arrived at a hospital with “respiratory distress” caused by glitter inhalation.
This story captured global intrigue because, incidentally, it mirrors a satirical story by The Onion from nearly 20 years ago. The ongoing joke on the internet these days is that satire can’t even achieve absurdity anymore, because reality itself already “gifts” us comedians who give medical advice on podcasts and centibillionaires who are somehow behind on child support. The Onion itself recently pivoted by purchasing Alex Jones’ InfoWars because, deep down, even they know that it’s unwittingly the best satire on the internet right now.
