[saintpatrick]

Is there somewhere some, or otherwise how could an amateur like me make a dark/black powder for a person to sniff in a magic trick, which is not poisonous, unhealthy or makes you sneeze? The best outcome would be no effect on the person. I have no chemical expertise, so I would love to hear any recommendations by anyone or your opinions, on if this is even possible to do. I was thinking of some sort of milk powder or maybe something like this?

Thank you very much, looking forward to hearing your ideas!

[Borek]

While finding something safe should be doable, I doubt in the "not sneeze" part - every powder will slightly irritate the mucous membrane. That's just how the sneezing reflex works.

[saintpatrick]

Ok, thanks your input! Well, if it's not doable without sneezing than I guess I'll somehow have to adapt to that or try to find something that's the least irritating for the mucous membrane.
Do you have an idea what kind of powder I should try out or who could manufacture something like that for me?

[Enthalpy]

The material safety data sheet for graphite powder looks quite harmless. Graphite has the advantage of being very black, fine powders more so.

Though, I expect graphite not to be eliminated from the lungs' surface, so it would accumulate. If it triggers cell growth in an attempt to get rid of the foreign element, as for instance asbestos does, that will provoke lung cancer. The same could be said from any powder not digested by the lungs.

Generally speaking, almost every substance our body isn't used to since 10 000 years is noxious.

[saintpatrick]

Thank you very much for the advice! Graphite powder is a great idea, I'll definitely find some use for it in the trick! (even if I'll maybe have to reconsider really doing the sniffing part)
So this is of great help to me, so thanks again

[hypervalent_iodine]

Thank you very much for the advice! Graphite powder is a great idea, I'll definitely find some use for it in the trick! (even if I'll maybe have to reconsider really doing the sniffing part)
So this is of great help to me, so thanks again

I really wouldn't sniff it, particularly if you plan to perform the trick a lot. Inhalation can eventually result in lung disease.

[billnotgatez]

When I did a GOOGLE on

dust and lung disease

I got (among other entries)

Pneumoconiosis is one of a group of interstitial lung disease caused by breathing in certain kinds of dust particles that damage your lungs. Because you are likely to encounter these dusts only in the workplace, pneumoconiosis is called an occupational lung disease. Pneumoconiosis usually take years to develop.

You could also GOOGLE

Black lung disease

and see the entry

Coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP), also known as black lung disease or black lung, is caused by long-term exposure to coal dust. It is common in coal miners and others who work with coal.

I believe coal dust is a form of carbon powder.

[Enthalpy]

Coal is mainly a hydrocarbon. Even anthracite contains only 92 to 98% carbon. As compared, chrysene C₁₈H₁₂ contains 95% carbon and is clearly a hydrocarbon.

I believe this is why coal burns while I could never let graphite burn of its own. With an external source of heat, it oxidises slowly, but it doesn't sustain combustion. A lighter under graphite fibres does essentially nothing. Even 50nm graphite powder used as a lubricant doesn't catch fire as a dust over a flame. This is consistent with the use of graphite tiles as refractory liner at ovens.

Which doesn't change the warning against any powder in the lungs.

[saintpatrick]

Thank you all for the helpful feedback!
Just out of curiosity, wouldn't people go for the same endagerments when they sniff coke for example?
Besides the obvious issues this seems like a pretty stupid thing to put into your lungs.
Is there really not any powder-kind-of-thing, that would dissolve on the way through the air passages?

[Borek]

Just out of curiosity, wouldn't people go for the same endagerments when they sniff coke for example?

Most of the lung problems stem from the fact some dusts don't dissolve, so they either have to be removed by other means or they stay in the lungs (that's more or less why mineral dusts are so dangerous). Our bodies don't have (in biological terms) an efficient way of getting rid of the dust that got deep in the lungs, the best they can do is to prevent contamination by filtering (hence mucous membranes that try to catch as much air contaminants as possible). Coke is water soluble, so it gets absorbed and doesn't stay in the lungs (actually from what I remember it gets absorbed mostly in the nasal cavity, it doesn't go deeper). Doesn't mean it is safe - and I am not saying about its effect as a drug, it irritates mucous membranes and can produce sores. I suppose some organic compounds (like carbohydrates?) could work in a similar way - dissolve in the mucous and get absorbed, but without any adverse health effects. They are white though.