10 of the most powerful poisons
In the world there are many poisons a different nature. Some of them are almost instantly, others may harass the victim of poisoning over the years, slowly destroying it from the inside. However, the concept of poison has no clear boundaries. It all depends on concentration. And often one and the same substance can act as a deadly poison, and as one of the most essential components to sustain life. A striking example of this duality are the vitamins — even a small excess of their concentration capable of completely ruining your health or kill you on the spot.
Here we offer a look at the 10 substances which are net poisons, and part of a group of the most dangerous and fast-acting.
Cyanide is also famous for its extreme toxicity. Only 200-300 mg of this white powder, resembling in appearance the sugar, enough to kill an adult human in just a few seconds. Due to such low doses and incredibly quick death, the poison chosen to leave the life, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, Hermann göring and other Nazis.
This poison was trying to poison Rasputin. However, poisoners slipped cyanide into sweet wine and cakes, not knowing that sugar is one of the most powerful antidotes to this poison. So, in the end, they had to use the gun.
Anthrax is a very serious, rapidly growing disease that is caused by bacteria Bacillus anthracis. There are several forms of anthrax. The most "harmless" is a skin. Even in the absence of treatment, the mortality from this form does not exceed 20%. The intestinal form, kills about half of cases, but the pulmonary form is almost certain death. Even with the latest treatment methods of modern doctors can't save more than 5% of patients.
Sarin was created by German scientists tried to create a potent pesticide. But his notoriety this deadly poison that causes a quick but very painful death long in agricultural fields and as a chemical weapon. Sarin for decades tons were produced for military purposes, and only in 1993, its production was forbidden. But despite the calls for the complete destruction of all stocks of the substance, and nowadays it is used as the terrorists and the military.
Amatoxin is a group of protein toxins of the nature contained in the poisonous fungi of the family amantova, including in deadly pale toadstool. Special danger of these poisons is their "slowness". Once in the human body, they immediately begin their destructive activity, but the first discomfort the victim begins to feel not earlier than 10 o'clock, and sometimes and after a few days, when doctors already very difficult to do anything. Even if such a patient fails to save, it will be the rest of your life to suffer from a painful liver, kidneys and lungs.
Strychnine in large quantities is contained in nuts, tropical tree chiriboga. It is from them, he was received in 1818 by the French chemists Pelletier and Caventou. In small doses, strychnine can be used as a medicine that increases metabolism, improves the activity of the heart and treatment of paralysis. He even actively used as an antidote in cases of poisoning by barbiturates.
Nevertheless, this is one of the strongest poisons. The lethal dose even smaller than the famous potassium cyanide, but he acts much more slowly. Death from strychnine poisoning occurs in about half an hour of terrible suffering, and severe seizures.
Mercury is extremely dangerous in all its manifestations, but particularly severe damage done to her couples and soluble compounds. Even small amounts of mercury, trapped in the body, causing severe damage to the nervous system, liver, kidneys and entire gastrointestinal tract.
When the intake of small amounts of mercury poisoning process is gradual, but inevitable, because the poison is not displayed, but rather accumulates. In ancient times, mercury was widely used for the production of mirrors, and felt for the hat. Chronic exposure to mercury vapor, expressed in conduct disorder until the complete insanity, at the time was called "disease of the old Hatter".
This extremely strong poison found in liver, eggs and Molokai famous puffer fish, as well as in the skin and eggs of some species of tropical frogs, octopus, crab and caviar California newt. With the influence of the poison Europeans first met in 1774, when the ship James cook's team has eaten an unknown tropical fish, and mud from the dinner was given to the ship's pigs. By morning all the people got seriously ill, and pigs suffocated.
A tetrodotoxin poisoning is very serious, and even today, doctors manage to save at least half of all poisoned.
It is interesting to note that the famous Japanese delicacy fugu fish is prepared with fish, in which the content of a dangerous toxin exceeds the lethal dose. Fans of the food in the literal sense of the word, entrusting their lives to the art of the chef. But no matter how I try chef, accidents can not be avoided, and every year several gourmet dies, eat delicious dish.
Ricin is an extremely strong poison plant origin. Most of the dangers posed by the inhalation of minute grains. Ricin is approximately 6 times more poisonous than cyanide, but as a weapon of mass destruction he was not used due to technical difficulties. But various security forces and terrorists really hate that stuff.
Politicians and public figures punctually receive letters containing ricin. However, it rarely comes to death, as the penetration of ricin through the lungs has a rather low efficiency. For a perfect result, you need to enter ricin directly into the blood.
VX, or as it is called, VX, belongs to the category of chemical warfare gases, providing nerve action. He also appeared as a new pesticide, but soon the military began to use it for their own purposes. The symptoms of poisoning by this gas occur after one minute after inhalation or contact with skin, and death within 10-15 minutes.
Botulinum toxin produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which are the causative agents of the most dangerous disease of botulism. This is the strongest poison of organic nature and one of the strongest poisons in the world. In the last century, botulinum toxin has entered the arsenals of chemical weapons, but at the same time there has been active research on its application in medicine.
And today, a huge number of people looking at least for a while to regain the smoothness of the skin, to feel the impact of this terrible poison, which is part of the popular drug Botox, which once again confirms the validity of the famous sayings of the great Paracelsus: "Everything is poison, all the medication; it is determined by the dose".
Keywords: Science | Health and medicine | The world | A poison | A dozen | A substance