Why do onions cause your eyes to water?

KaGi

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13 years ago

Why do onions cause your eyes to water?

I always wondered about this and I've heard so many weird replies in the past Grinning Face

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fifa_2010

wrote...

13 years ago

The chemical is a sulphenic acid which will change into a gas that spreads out in the air. The gas from the onion will go to the nearest water source, which would be your eyes.

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amal

wrote...

13 years ago

i agree

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karim89

wrote...

13 years ago

i don't know about the details but i know that there is a gas that binds to water in your eyes which causes you to cry.. well i don't know how much i can trust brainiac but that's what they said in an episode once, they also had a guy holding a wet towel around the front of his neck, which decreased the effect of the onion on his eyes... again all from brainiac, so i'm not sure.

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shahindian2009

wrote...

13 years ago

Quote from: karim89 (13 years ago)

Yeah! I hate that I always cry when I cut onions. Going somewhat off this topic, why do we cry in the first place?

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karim89

wrote...

13 years ago

It is believed that when crying, hormones responsible for stress are disposed in tears so that their concentration decrease in the body which leads to a feeling of relief... it is just a theory, no one can know for sure, others say that it's simply just a form of communication.

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