MythBusters Pilot 3: Larry’s Lawn Chair Balloon, Poppy Seed Drug Test, Goldfinger
Air Date: March 7, 2003
Covering your body in gold paint can kill you by skin asphyxiation like in the James Bond movie Goldfinger.
busted
Jamie was covered in gold paint from head to toe and lasted over an hour without reporting any major ill effects, besides a slight (and temporary) flu-like feeling, as he described it. The myth stated that the actress portraying the gold plated woman in Goldfinger, Shirley Eaton, died as well. Ms. Eaton did survive the filming of Goldfinger and went on to appear in many more feature films and a segment for the show in which she confirmed she was still alive.
Could Larry Walters have flown a lawn chair by means of weather balloons, and descend safely by means of an airgun?
confirmed
Adam Savage went up in the MythBuster’s rig, which was a lawn chair with 16 plastic weather balloons attached, and went up to the maximum height that could be obtained with the safety ropes attached, 75 feet (22.5 m). He safely descended by shooting out some of the balloons. The actual event behind the myth was verified by documents provided by the FAA.
Eating poppy seed bagels or poppy seed cake can cause one to test positive for heroin and/or opium on a drug test.
confirmed
Heroin is a semi-synthetic opoid made from Morphine. If a test is sensitive enough it can generate a false positive simply by detecting the poppy seeds. Lawsuits have actually been filed and settled due to this phenomenon.
Newer: Episode 1: Ice Bullet, Exploding Toilet, Who Gets Wetter?
Older: Pilot 2: Vacuum Toilet, Biscuit Bazooka, Leaping Lawyer
Any case law that you can show online?
“Eating poppy seed bagels or poppy seed cake can cause one to test positive for heroin and/or opium on a drug test.
confirmed
Heroin is a semi-synthetic opoid made from Morphine. If a test is sensitive enough it can generate a false positive simply by detecting the poppy seeds. Lawsuits have actually been filed and settled due to this phenomenon.”
August 17, 2007 at 6:48 PMi work as firefighter for a city in texas, according to our mro (medical review officer) he say that its just a bunch of bull. he say taht poppy seed can’t give a false reading, i mentioned your show and he said you all were not doctors/lab techs to actually decipher the results that you were getting and that he needed proof.
November 6, 2007 at 2:14 PMi say he’s wrong, great show guys keep up that mythbusting.
the james bond movie was a representation of lead based paint. today we do not have that kind of paint for saftey, therefore when the two are not affected by the gold paint, they can’t say it is busted. they did not use the same kind of paint
January 2, 2008 at 2:16 PMRomel Garcia and 42Adult,
There’s actually a lot of documentation on the poppy-seed drug cases.
I attached one link to a nytimes article, I suggest Romel give a copy of the article to his boss.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE3DA133AF932A1575AC0A961948260
January 7, 2008 at 9:30 AMStatic Electricity, cleared my Ipod! What !
January 16, 2008 at 9:40 PMLightning follows me. I demagatize watches, and credit cards if I hold the strip.
Hey
February 4, 2008 at 4:13 PMI found the write up where Jamie and Adam were covered in gold paint but I can’t find the one where Kari was. I’m pretty sure I’m not confusing it with my dreams. I distinctly remember thinking it wasn’t fair. She didn’t have near as much flesh covered to cause any reaction. I mean really, what was with those boy’s briefs. A thong would have exposed enough skin to match the guys’ chest area and you would have still kept your family rating. I just watched a commercial where a woman was shown completely naked from behind. It was medical commercial but still, there it was. And I certainly don’t see anything wrong with breasts, but I’m from Canada. It’s legal up here. But still it should be legal there, if they were covered, with paint?
Needless to say I would like to see more of Kari… you know what I mean.
Keep Busting!
Namarie an si
Lance
hi, i just been fired from my job for testing positive with opium in my result, thru eating bread with poppy seeds on it. I work in the railway industry the take the reading as low as 300 mine was 310. i am in a middle of a unfair dismisle case. so that is how bad it can afect your life.
February 28, 2008 at 4:17 AMI’d love to see a follow up episode with other types of drug testing like hair, sweat, blood and saliva. I’d also like to see what other common over the counter things can give a false positive. I’ve heard that Advil can be mistaken for pot.
March 7, 2008 at 4:23 PMMy own research and the experience of friends, proves to me that poppy seeds can cause a false positive drug test. Questions: Does it show up positive in both urine AND blood analysis? Also, I eat alot of salads, and my dressing of choice is Poppy Seed Dressing. Most pieces on line address eating poppy seed muffins or bread. Have any of you heard about studies regarding false positives and poppy seed SALAD DRESSING?? I’m not a current user, but I receive services from a pain clinic which includes some random drug testing. I was tested unexpectedly on 3 days ago, and altho i told them of my regular “DofC” (Poppy Seed Dressing-LOL), I wasn’t able to get an answer about the salad dressing usage would or would not affect my drug test. (I would hate to loose my pain mgmt treatmentiok comments, questions, and/or concerns on the subject would be appreciated!!!
March 28, 2008 at 6:48 AMI want to know: if eating poppy seeds can cause you te test positive for opiods, then how many poppy seeds would be required for ingestion to produce the same effects as actually taking the drugs? Let’s face it, if I going to get fired for it, I want to at least enjoy the ride first.
May 15, 2009 at 9:20 AMI actually know a bus driver who was randomly tested and came up positive for heroin – because he ate poppy seed sandwhiches for two weeks straight – he ended up resolving the issue with further testing
September 11, 2009 at 5:01 PMI bet you couldnt float with regular balloons
October 11, 2009 at 8:59 PMim high as hell right now … poppy da bomb yo!.. lol
October 30, 2009 at 4:28 AMim even floating some baloons… wheeeee!!!
If you are NOT hired or fired as a result of eating Poppy Seeds, you can sue for damages.
You can sue to employer for loss of wages.
You can sue the drug test company.
You can sue the company that put poppy seeds in the food without warning you of the results.
Several lawsuits have been won.
December 25, 2009 at 10:51 AMI think I know why Jamie’s blood pressure went up when he was painted gold. I’m alot like Jamie. in a sense our personalitys are very alike. (both liking to be in control of something) I think he might have a slight case of anexiety disorder. Because I resently found out I have it (I’m a 15yrold female)and I feel how he was describing he felt(cold & hot, faint, high bloodpressure) when he had the paint on. Its something about knowing that your, in a way, being confined. It mentally gets you first, then starts affecting your body in a “sick” like reaction. Thats just what I think based off what he described. And I have no way of being so sure, but, I think he does have a slight case of anexiety. It happens when you feel like your not in control of anything.
December 27, 2009 at 3:41 AMHi, I love your show so I have a Myth for you What if someone is golfing and then lighting comes.Then that person throws their metal goof club then the lighting fallows.
December 28, 2009 at 11:25 AMI go to a pain clinic and they tested my urine I was looking online and saw that poppy seeds could make a false postive. I had the poppy seed begal 51 hours ago. thank you
January 6, 2010 at 9:31 PMI had a urine test today at a pain clinic and 51 hours ago I had a poppy seed bagel at a grocery store will this show up in my urine
January 6, 2010 at 9:32 PMI have a Myth that I hard, that maybe true or not!
I live in Upstate New York were a few pedestrians
/train accidents had occurred, during the wintertime.
The Myth that I would look to be buster is that snow
muffles/absorbs the sound of an on coming train that
includes the horn. “Thus enabling pedestrians to hear
the on coming train”.
Sincerely: “Myth Busted USNY” Eric McKnight
February 7, 2010 at 12:43 AM