I just came from an episode of House (which my housemate was watching) in which someone was poisoned with gold.
I knew something was wrong, that the writers had gotten something wrong.
Gold is virtually non-reactive.
You find something of gold in the archaeological record from 2,000 years ago, it looks like it was made yesterday.
If it does not react with anything in the body, than how can it poison you?
Gold is non-toxic! You can eat it, and it will not harm you!
Only in its ionic form, as an ion, can gold harm you, presumably by interfering with the ions in your body- if in large enough amounts, at least.
But first it has to be mixed with one of the very few things that reacts with gold, turning it into an ion, before it will be found in its ionic form at all!
In the episode of House, the gold was mixed with something, turning it into ions.
But the writers neglected to tell viewers that it was only harmful because it was mixed with one of the few, rare things that will react with gold!
Most of which would be more harmful than the gold ions themselves, since only something very reactive like chlorine is likely to react with gold!
And the chlorine will harm you more than the gold, unless it was chlorine in table salt or some other harmless compound!
Gold is non-toxic!
Writers, please, don't omit things like this!
Don't scare people needlessly!
Not that I wrote this to chastise writers!
I wrote this to comfort viewers!
God loves you! No fear!
Sincerely,
David S. Annderson