cabbagehead
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Yes, but not safely.
This process is called Mithridatization, in reference to Mithridates VI, a classical era king who regularly ingested poison in the hopes that any attempts on his life would fail. According to legend, by the time his kingdom was conquered by the Roman general Pompey, Mithridates was so resistant to poison he couldn't use it to end his life. Eventually he had one of his knights stab him so he couldn't be taken prisoner.
How does this work? Your body naturally produces proteins called metallothioneins, which are used to remove a variety of metals from your body including lead and arsenic. By slowly introducing arsenic, your body will increase metallothionein production to compensate. However, increased metallothionein production also increases your risk of cancer.
In reality, you're less likely to be poisoned by your arch nemesis than you are from drinking water.
This has become a major problem in Bangladesh, where over a third of the tube wells pump water containing unsafe levels of arsenic.
Since arsenic is odorless and colorless, the people drinking from these wells aren't aware that they're being poisoned until symptoms start appearing.
Posted 5375 day ago
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