I think of toxic as something or someone that's unhealthy to be around.

I struggled for a human summary to put inside the blank. Couldn't find one. It seems to have a kaleidoscope of human subsets in the ways I am hearing it used.

My environmental activism is well versed on toxic substances, and environmental destruction from "civilized" habits. Things. Things people do. In that context, all people are toxic. Every single one of us.

Still struggling with the concept of applying it to individual human beings. Feels kinda like judging a cancer victim for having cancer.

"Drama and dreadful?" Not sure I get you, DoooO. Kinda hits me as redundant.

Sorry for my confusion. I get this way, sometimes.

Fair enough for an etymology. Thank you, DoooO.

I would describe my dad as this word. It feels he has sucked everything out of me. Who I was, who I could have been and who I want to be. People think they know me and they think I'm wonderful, truth is I don't know me and I feel far from wonderful.

So Toxic... Vampire... Half human.

Toxic is a hip word but I think of it as a synonym for: Poisonous, Hazardous to One's Health, Do Not Touch Without Protective Gear, Beware of Fumes, Skull-and-Crossbones-on-Bottle, Mr Yuk Stickers required, Use Safety Gear At All Times, Do Not Get in or on You, Use Safety Measures if Contact Occurs.

In other words, biochem lab standards for toxic, basically. (For once, I'm a literalist. Who knew?)

To me, "toxic waste dump" describes my dad's gene pool (and mine, argh), but it's really just a quick andcatchy way of saying, "People Who Harm and Swim In THe Muck of Harm To Selves and Others". (Not nearly as glib, but less typing.)

I agree, "toxic" is a "hip" term, but it's evocative, which is helpful in communicating to others, for me.

Toxicity, of course, is a measure of how toxic something is, or the point at which one achieves "saturation" and the body/system can no longer safely process the substance out, and so damage occurs.

No idea if that was useful but htat's my definition.

To me it means poisonous Arf. In that poisonous people contaminate everyone they come into contact with, rather like a virus. They infect people with their hatred and negativity. Staying around people like this will invariably turn us poisonous too. (note to Rotti about her folks, no doubt many of us here can relate to her plight)...just my tuppence worth, all the best Manda xx

Whoops, should add that as in biological toxicity, effects of emotional and/or societal and/or psychological toxicity may not reach "hazard" levels from any one "toxin" (behavior, e.g) alone, but from a cumulative effect of more than one "toxin". As metaphor, not bad, but it might be more specific to say "damage-causing". (Like the human species, you're right.)

So, are there a Non-Toxic People? People so clean and pure that they are ????

No biggie. Think I'll just leave it with what the Plastic People Bashers of my adolescence told me, "Either you are Hip or you ain't."

I am still okay with "Not Hip."

Arfie, I do believe there are non-toxic people. The human equivalent of inert chemical compounds. They don't cause harm. They may not do much else, but they don't cause harm. They fit into the environment (society) without adding to the "pollution". I mean, strictly speaking, toxicity is also not forever---people and substances undergo change, right?

My argument is based on my Polish family, however. They aren't perfect (say, the human equivalent of a SuperVitamin) but they are nonetheless nontoxic and generally nourishing.

BLeep it, that was Nurturing, not nourishing. Argh! Brain fog! Great, now they sound like cannibals. *wah*