I hadn't been paying attention to the BK black bun thing! IIRC, there were some Kool-Aid flavors that would do something similar.

Basically it's the sheer amount of blue food coloring they need to use to get the black bun that is at issue, when combined with yellow bile.

In Japan where they've had these for years, they use squid ink so no issue.

There's some genetic condition that makes people's skin blue,

If you ingest colloidal silver it'll turn your skin blue. Permanently I believe.

There is also the thing with blue pee in The Maddness of King George III. And there are also the Blue People of Kentucky [link] but it sounds a little urban legendy

I think the Blue People of Kentucky is what I am remembering. I can't remember where I read it, though, but I thought somewhere pretty reputable. At least, seemed reputable to me at the time.

I have another who wants to explore the ethical implications of medications that are also considered toxins

As in "I can't prescribe this drug to you because parts of it are harmful in the wrong amount"? IE, "the scientific discovery that small amounts of dangerous chemicals have life-saving abilities is a no-no because you shouldn't ingest icky naughty things that could be harmful, m'kay?"

Well, it's one way to deal with an overcrowded planet and kickstart evolution.

These are the kind of people I want to talk to very seriously about the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide overdose.

That stuff is pretty terrifying. And it's everywhere!

I was obsessed with the blue people of Kentucky, at one point in high school, after I read an article about it.

These are the kind of people I want to talk to very seriously about the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide overdose.

And anecdotally I can supply the story of a friend who spent three days in the ICU! (For reals.) We should be very cautious who we let have access to that stuff.

Monday needs to knock this shit off, man.

My reaction to today has considerably more swearing in it.

IJS