Why does cutting onions make you cry?

13/01/12

Do you cry and have stinging eyes when youʼre cutting the onions up for dinner? They must read a lot of books of sad stories – why else would they make us so upset when weʼre cutting them?

Well, the reason can be found in science, not in books of sorrowful fiction – when you cut into an onion they spray a powerful acid up into the air. If the acid gets into your eyes, while not damaging your skin, will cause your eyes to sting and itch. When chemicals or dirt get into your eyes your tear glands get straight to work, making you cry in order to wash the irritation out of your delicate eyes.