Why do onions make you cry?

Answer 1

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Onions release some chemicals when cut that vaporze into the air - when we inhale them, they irritate our sinus passages and eyes to the point of causing them to tear up.

You can prove this to yourself by holding your nose closed, breathing through your mouth and be near someone cutting onions.

Some onions cause more tearing than others - the 'hotter' the onion, the more tears. The 'sweeter' the onion, the less tears.

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Asker's Comment:

Thanks!

Answer 2

The vapour from the onion shoot up into the air as you cut them and then gets in your eyes and make them sting like crazy. If you take them outside and cut them this will not happen because then you have enough ventilation to carry the vapour away from your eyes. In doors the vapour just hangs in the air around you. As you cut the onions it will just keep getting worse.

Answer 3

Onions make you cry because when you cut them it releases reactive chemicals from the cell structure of the onion that, when mixed with the water in your tears creates sulfonic acid, an irritant.

Source(s):

www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/onion.h…

Answer 4

It has something to do with the smell and i guess you could call it gas coming out of it. It has a very potent smell.

Source(s):

Im only ten so if its wrong. Sorry

Answer 5

They dont the gases comming from the onion get into your eyes and make them water if you like to reduce this try putting the onion in a frezzer a little befor you cut it

Source(s):

past experince

Answer 6

Because you can hear their little screams of pain as you cut deeply into their flesh.

Answer 7

They don't make me cry, they make me really irritable because my eyes hurt so bad.

Answer 8

If you light a candle next to where you're cutting the onions---no more tears, no more stinging eyes!

Answer 9

Onions don't make me cry,but if I stick it to my eyes really close,it'll make my eyes burn.

Answer 10

They make it u cry because burns you eyes