If you ate one a day, it probably wouldn't do any harm.

However there are websites and alt med proponents who suggest eating many (up to 50) of these a day to prevent or treat cancer, and that dosage CAN cause serious toxicity or death.

"Apricot kernel contains a toxic chemical known as amygdalin. In the body this chemical is converted to cyanide, which is poisonous. There was interest in using apricot kernel to fight cancer because it was thought that amygdalin was taken up first by cancer cells and converted to cyanide. It was hoped that the cyanide would harm only the tumor. But research has shown that this is not true. The amygdalin is actually converted to cyanide in the stomach. The cyanide then goes throughout the body, where it can cause serious harm, including death."

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1190-apricot%20kernel.aspx?activeingredientid=1190&activeingredientname=apricot%20kernel

https://thechronicleflask.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/please-dont-eat-apricot-kernels/

So, the larger question is why you'd want to eat apricot kernels in the first place, since there's no demonstrated benefit but a potential for serious harm.

Yes, they are quite safe to eat. Just looking at the chemistry does not give the full picture and they sound scary, however if you eat the kernal you're not just getting the poisonous part, you are also getting the entire chemical structure (as God made it) and it is then poisonous only to the cancer cells which are latent in all of us. You can overdose on anything and I'm sure that could happen here as well, but if you research how people have used them over time you will be OK. My personal story is one of cancer healing using kernals as well as additional supplements. That was a long time ago and I have been fine ever since. Just do your research, and I do not mean on mainstream Western medical sites. They will simply give you the medical school aversion to anything not drug related. Just my opinion, but also my experience.

The "entire chemical structure (as God made it)" of numerous natural compounds in highly toxic to humans - including such things as ricin, botulinum toxin and tetrodotoxin. These natural chemicals were evolved by organisms for their own purposes - not to serve mankind.

"Mainstream Western" medicine has developed many useful drugs from plants, including those that have toxic principles (like digitalis and taxol) but can be used with relative safety when properly standardized and administered.

Cyanide (from apricot kernels) is not one of these drugs. It's a poison that is intrinsically toxic to human cells in general.

http://chemistry.about.com/od/toxicchemicals/fl/How-Does-Cyanide-Kill.htm

And yet so many people have used it (including me) over a period of time and the only side effect was to get better.....I'm not going to argue this any more. I only urge people not to listen to what seems to be "logic", but to go beyond the surface and investigate. You don't find out much if you only read what you agree with.

http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/altbelief.html

Please review my last sentence....

dclytle: Just do your research, and I do not mean on mainstream Western medical sites.

dcyltle: You don't find out much if you only read what you agree with.

Ah, the irony.