The most terrible poisons

Hi %username%

Yes, I know, the title is hackneyed and there are over 9000 links in Google that describe terrible poisons and tell horror stories.

But I don't want to list the same. I do not want to measure LD50 doses and claim originality.

I want to write about the poisons that you, %username%, are at great risk of encountering every day. And which are not as simple as their closest counterparts.

The enemy must be known by sight. And I hope it will be interesting. And if it turns out to be interesting, then it is possible that you will master it. second part.

So - my deadly ten!

Tenth place

Thallium

Thallium is a soft, silvery-white metal with a bluish tint. In the photo he is in an ampoule - and this is no accident. 600 mg of thallium will reliably knock down any healthy person - in this regard, thallium is more abruptly than all these other heavy metals of yours. At the same time, like all heavy metals, thallium is classified as a cumulative poison - accumulating pathological symptoms in chronic poisoning.

Unlike classical heavy metals, which essentially cling to the cysteine ​​thiol group in proteins and prevent them from living, thallium is more sophisticated: monovalent thallium ions are the same size and chemical properties as potassium, and therefore replace potassium ions in biochemical processes. Thallium is concentrated in hair, bones, kidneys and muscles, affects the peripheral nervous system, gastrointestinal tract and kidneys.

A characteristic symptom of poisoning with thallium compounds is partial hair loss, with a significant dose - total alopecia. At a high dose, alopecia is uncharacteristic, since a person dies from poisoning before hair loss occurs. That is, in principle, if you like to shave baldly, you can try to play with the dose, but there is a risk of not guessing.

In case of poisoning with thallium or its compounds, Prussian blue is used as an antidote, first aid when administered with thallium is gastric lavage with a solution of 0,3% sodium thiosulfate with agitated activated charcoal powder. They say it helps, but this is inaccurate.

In general, thallium is classified as a strategic poison, so why is it even on my list? The fact is that most laboratories that perform water and food analysis use wonderful calibration solution IV. I witnessed how this solution was taken with a pipette, and since there was no rubber pear - pulled the solution by mouth. Well what can I say… Not the best way to get a Darwin award.

Ninth place

Phosgene

Phosgene, simple to disgrace, is actually magnificent: mankind has known it since 1812, however, this “light-born” (namely, this is how the name is translated from the bourgeois) gas is by no means good: it causes toxic pulmonary edema, which some kind people used without hindrance when poisoned other good people in the First World War. Contact of phosgene with lung tissue causes impaired alveolar permeability and rapidly progressive pulmonary edema. Good people took advantage of this, but also to this day, no antidote for phosgene has been invented.

The beauty and simplicity lies in the fact that the first distinct signs of poisoning appear after a latent period of 4 to 8 hours, even periods of 15 hours have been observed. This is followed by a strong cough, shortness of breath, cyanosis of the face and lips. Progressive pulmonary edema leads to severe suffocation, excruciating pressure in the chest, the breathing rate increases, sometimes up to 60-70 per minute. Convulsive breathing. A few details: a protein-containing edematous foamy and viscous liquid is sprayed from the alveoli and bronchioles of the lungs into the wider airways, leading to difficulty and impossibility of breathing. What does the unfortunate person do at this moment and what does he look like - do you remember the horror pictures? Exactly. With toxic pulmonary edema, up to about half of the total amount of blood in the body passes into the lungs, which, as a result, swell and increase in mass. While a normal lung weighs about 500-600 grams, "phosgene" lungs weighing up to 2,5 kilograms have been observed.

In the end, the blood pressure drops sharply, the poisoned person is in the strongest excitement, breathes with noise, gasps for air, then death occurs.

There are also cases when the poisoned person avoids any unnecessary movement and chooses some most comfortable position to facilitate breathing. The lips of such poisoned people are gray, the sweat is cold and clammy. Despite suffocation, sputum is not separated from them. A few days later, the poisoned person dies. Rarely, after 2-3 days, an improvement in the condition may occur, which after 2-3 weeks may result in recovery, but complications as a result of secondary infectious diseases are frequent, which leads to death.

So, how can you feel phosgene and run away without being poisoned, given the long latent period and the fact that this gas has no taste and smells like rotten fruit or hay - not the sharpest, unlike what it smells like in a minibus, in which you are going? Oddly enough, smoking: smoking in phosgene-laden air is unpleasant or even impossible.

Phosgene is actively used in organic synthesis: in the production of dyes, as well as in the production of polycarbonate thermoplastics. But you, %username%, remember: phosgene is formed during the combustion of chlorine-containing freons. Interestingly, as a result, smoking is prohibited when servicing refrigeration machines and installations. In light of the fact that a smoker is more likely to feel something is wrong, it is difficult to say which is more important.

Eighth place

Lead и Tetraethyl lead

Well, everyone knows about the toxicity of lead and how it looks. Nevertheless, no one bothers to hold it in their hands, and sometimes they eat sandwiches with these very hands. No one bothers to melt lead ingots and breathe in fumes. Meanwhile, lead is highly toxic and, like all heavy metals, has an excellent ability to accumulate. Lead can accumulate in the bones, causing their gradual destruction, concentrated in the liver and kidneys. So, after accumulating the coveted dose, you, %username%, will naturally feel a little unwell: there will be pain in the abdomen, in the joints, cramps, fainting. If you continue, it is possible to see the light at the end of the tunnel with all the consequences.

Lead exposure is especially dangerous for children: long-term exposure causes mental retardation and chronic brain disease.

By the way, lead acetate tastes sweet! Did you know %username%? Yes, that's why it's called lead sugar. Saltykov-Shchedrin even mentioned it when making fake wines:

A bucket of alcohol is poured onto the barrel, and then, depending on the property of the wine being made: so much molasses on Madeira, tar on Malaga, sugar lead on Rhine wine, etc. This mixture is stirred until it becomes homogeneous , and then clog ...

By the way, there is an opinion that the Russian word "lead" is associated with the word "wine", among the ancient Romans (and in the Caucasus) wine was stored in lead vessels, which gave it a peculiar taste. This taste was valued so highly that they did not pay attention to the possibility of poisoning with toxic substances. Well, yes, live fast - die young ...

But tetraethyl lead deserves special attention - a colorless, oily volatile liquid that has long been used as an anti-knock additive for gasoline (the same Leaded Petrol). In the USSR, a dye was added to automobile gasoline containing tetraethyl lead for the purpose of marking: until 1979, gasoline AI93, A-76 and A-66 containing tetraethyl lead were dyed blue, green, and orange, respectively; since 1979, leaded gasoline began to be dyed orange-red ( AI-93), yellow (A-76), blue (AI-98), green (A-66) or pink (A-72) colors.

This was done not at all for beauty and to attract buyers - in addition to the fact that exhausts polluted everything around with lead, tetraethyl lead itself has a number of pleasant properties, ranging from carcinogenicity to extremely high toxicity. At the same time, penetration is possible both with vapors (this rubbish is volatile, do not forget), and through the skin. This substance selectively affects the nervous system, causing acute, subacute and chronic poisoning (yes, just like lead, this thing likes to accumulate).

Most poisonings are acute and subacute. First of all, the cerebral cortex is affected. In the area of ​​the vegetative centers of the diencephalon, a focus of congestive excitation appears, which leads to gross violations of the cortical-subcortical relationships.

In the initial stage of acute poisoning, pronounced vegetative disorders are noted: body temperature and blood pressure fall, sleep is disturbed, a persistent fear of death appears at night, an anxious, depressed mood. There is a sensation of a ball of hair or threads on the tongue.

In the pre-climax stage, pronounced mental disorders appear: the fear of death begins to disturb not only at night, but also during the day, there are auditory, visual, tactile hallucinations of a frightening nature, delusions of persecution. Under the influence of delirium, psychomotor agitation develops, the patient becomes aggressive, there are frequent cases when, trying to save their lives from people allegedly pursuing them, people jumped out of windows.

In the climax stage, psychomotor arousal reaches its maximum tension. Consciousness is confused. It seems to the unfortunate that he is being cut into pieces, that snakes are wrapping around his body, etc. Epileptic seizures may develop. At the height of psychomotor arousal, the temperature rises (up to 40 ° C), the pressure and heart rate increase. The ending is clear: collapse, death.

If you are still lucky, the prognosis is favorable: psychomotor arousal is replaced by a vegetative-asthenic state. At the same time, mental defects, emotional dullness, decreased intelligence, loss of interest in the environment, etc. remain - but you will live. Not sure if it's happy.

By the way, do you remember the stories of grandmothers about terrible drug addicts who sniff gasoline? Wow! According to an influential hypothesis proposed to explain the fluctuations in crime rates in the second half of the 1960th century and the beginning of the 1990st century, tetraethyl lead poisoning in childhood entailed a violation of the development of the central nervous system, resulting in an increase in delinquent behavior in adulthood, which led to an increase in crime from the 1990s to the early 1970s. The fall in crime rates since the XNUMXs, according to this hypothesis, is explained by the decrease in the consumption of gasoline made with tetraethyl lead since the XNUMXs.

If, nevertheless, you are unlucky, and you are poisoned with tetraethyl lead, then you will be treated like the most ordinary psycho: sleeping pills (barbiturates), hexenal, chlorpromazine, drugs (except morphine, which gives a paradoxical effect, increasing arousal). Intravenous glucose with B vitamins and ascorbic acid, dehydrating agents (glucose, magnesium sulfate), as well as cardiac and vascular agents (with collapse) are also prescribed. Perhaps they will make a man out of you back. If you're lucky, then reasonable.

By the way, tetraethyl lead is banned everywhere, yes. In Russia - since November 15, 2002, but sometimes, looking at others, I have doubts ...

Seventh place

Dioxins

In general, under dioxins, a mixture of various polychloroderivatives of dibenzodioxin is taken. The name comes from the abbreviated name of the tetrachloro derivative - 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo[b, e] -1,4-dioxin - this handsome man is presented in the form of a formula, however, compounds with other substituents - halides - also belong to dioxins.

All dioxins are cumulative poisons and belong to the group of dangerous xenobiotics - that is, there are no such substances in nature, and their author is a person. Dioxins are formed as a by-product in the production of chlorophenolic herbicides. And what does a person do with all the by-products? Right!

Dioxins are also formed as undesirable impurities as a result of various chemical reactions at high temperatures and in the presence of chlorine. The main reasons for the emission of dioxins into the biosphere are, first of all, the use of high-temperature technologies for chlorination and processing of organochlorine substances and, especially, the incineration of production waste. The presence of ubiquitous polyvinyl chloride and other polymers, various chlorine compounds in the destroyed garbage contributes to the formation of dioxins in flue gases. Another source of danger is the pulp and paper industry. Bleaching of pulp with chlorine is accompanied by the formation of dioxins and a number of other dangerous organochlorine substances.

The first acquaintance of grateful mankind with dioxins occurred during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971 as part of the Ranch Hand program for the destruction of vegetation. At that time, Agent Orange was used as a defoliant — a mixture of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), containing impurities of polychlorobenzodioxins. As a result, due to exposure to dioxins, a significant number of both Vietnamese and soldiers who had contact with Agent Orange suffered. Nobody thought about the Vietnamese then, and the soldiers - well, that's what they are soldiers for, right?

A closer acquaintance took place on July 11, 1976 in the Italian city of Seveso, when an explosion at a chemical plant of the Swiss company ICMESA led to the release of a cloud of dioxin into the atmosphere. The cloud hung over the industrial suburbs, and then the poison began to settle on houses and gardens. Thousands of people began to have bouts of nausea, vision weakened, an eye disease developed, in which the outlines of objects seemed blurry and unsteady. The tragic consequences of the incident began to manifest themselves in 3-4 days. By July 14, Seveso's dispensaries were filled with sick people. Among them were many children suffering from rashes and festering boils. They complained of back pain, weakness and dull headaches. Patients told doctors that animals and birds in their yards and gardens began to die suddenly. In the years following the accident, the areas around the factory saw a dramatic increase in birth defects in newborns, including spina bifida (spina bifida). It's not for the faint of heart, to be honest.

By the way, they say here that the extraordinary increase in the attractiveness of the former President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko is also associated with dioxins. However, maybe not. No one, including Viktor Yushchenko himself, knows.

The reason for the toxicity of dioxins lies in the ability of these substances to accurately fit into the receptors of living organisms and suppress or alter their vital functions. Dioxins, suppressing the immune system and intensively influencing the processes of cell division and specialization, provoke the development of oncological diseases. Dioxins also invade the complex well-functioning work of the endocrine glands. They interfere with reproductive function, dramatically slowing down puberty and often leading to female and male infertility. They cause deep disturbances in almost all metabolic processes, suppress and break the work of the immune system, leading to the state of the so-called "chemical AIDS".

Recent studies have confirmed that dioxins cause malformations and developmental problems in children.

Dioxins enter the human body in several ways: 90 percent - with water and food through the gastrointestinal tract, the remaining 10 percent - with air and dust through the lungs and skin. These substances circulate in the blood, being deposited in adipose tissue and lipids of all body cells without exception. Through the placenta and with breast milk, they are transmitted to the fetus and child.

Here is another set of some skills that greatly enhance this hero:

• Practically insoluble in water.
• Up to a temperature of 900 °C, heat treatment does not affect dioxins.
• Their half-life in the environment is approximately 10 years.
• Once in the human or animal body, they accumulate in adipose tissue and very slowly decompose and are excreted from the body (the half-life in the human body is from 7-11 years).
• LD50 - 70 mcg/kg for monkeys, orally. This is lower than most military poisons. Well, we evolved from monkeys, right?
• In view of the extremely high toxicity, chromatography-mass spectrometry and analysis using bioassays (CALUX) are used to determine dioxins in the environment and, in particular, in water. These are very expensive methods, and by no means every laboratory is equipped with them, especially in this country.
• At the moment there are neither ways to completely remove dioxins from the body, nor effective antidotes.

In general, %username%, as you might have guessed, is better to spoil yourself than the person himself, no one can. Currently, there is a search for genetic modification of certain types of bacteria in order to improve their ability to absorb dioxins. But given how everyone is afraid of GMOs, and how well humanity copes with self-cutting - I'm afraid that these certain types of bacteria will only make everything worse.

We'll see.

Fortunately, there are not so many dioxins around yet, bacteria are only in development, and therefore it is only seventh place, but with a serious reserve for the future.

Sixth place

Botulinum toxin

A complex protein neurotoxin produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. The strongest known neurotoxin is a semi-lethal dose of about 0,000001 mg/kg of your frail body.

By the way, botulinum toxin is one of the most complex proteins synthesized in nature. It works exquisitely: the molecule is a two-domain globule. Domains A and B are linear polypeptides linked by a single cystine bridge. Domain B is responsible for toxin transport in the body, reception on the neuron's presynaptic membrane, and structural rearrangement of the near-receptor region of this membrane with the formation of a transmembrane channel in it. Further, the disulfide bond is restored, domain A is released and penetrates through this channel into the cytoplasm of the nerve cell, where it prevents the release of the mediator - acetylcholine. Very similar to the action of organophosphates such as Sarin, Soman and VX - but much more effective. Have I already said that mother nature is more inventive than man?

What will you feel when this pinnacle of natural synthesis enters your stomach? Well, firstly, there is always a hidden period, sometimes up to 2-3 days. Then suddenly you will feel unwell: the poison causes disturbances in the work of the cranial nerves, skeletal muscles, nerve centers of the heart. The pupils dilate, fog, flies appear before the eyes, many begin to strabismus (and not at all from the fact that you drank too much at the party). Later, a violation of speech and swallowing, a mask-like face join. Death occurs from hypoxia caused by a violation of the metabolic processes of oxygen, asphyxia of the respiratory tract, paralysis of the respiratory muscles and the heart muscle. In short, you will die, and quite painfully. If you are lucky, you will be limited to paralysis of the facial muscles and strabismus, which, if they pass, will not be very soon. Lucky by no means all.

Why only sixth place? The fact is that clostridia botulinum - the only masters of the production of this toxin that do not disclose the secret - do not like to work in the air, and therefore you can find them mainly in canned food and sausage - especially in canned fried mushrooms and meat and fish harvested in large pieces with surface damage. The second place is medicine: these are Botox, Relatox, Xeomin, BTXA, Dysport, Neuronox. So if you are beaten up with something like that, there is every chance to feel an indescribable complex of all the benefits described above. Too bad there won't be anyone to tell.

By the way, people are very philanthropic, and therefore in the USA, Great Britain and Canada, botulinum toxin was considered as a chemical warfare agent already in the 60s-70s of the last century. In total, since 1975, botulinum toxin A has been adopted by the US Army under the code XR. A supply of the toxin was stored at the Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas. Perhaps it is stored now, and maybe not only there. Bearing in mind that XR has been tested (I wonder on whom?) as the most toxic of all known deadly substances of natural and synthetic origin, I am not so afraid of nuclear winter.

How to be saved? Don't eat anything. And if you eat it, then after heat treatment: botulinum toxin does not like it very much when it is fried or boiled. Despite the fact that this substance is not afraid of gastric juice, it is completely destroyed when boiled for 25-30 minutes.

By the way, the warriors discovered that there is a vaccine against botulinum toxin! Yes, just like measles. But do not rush to run to the pharmacy - the vaccine is not available to the general public, and besides, the same warriors found that 10% -30% of people are unable to immunize, while the rest develop immunity only after a month or more. By the way, in quantities of 1000-10000 toxic doses (and this is not much - only 0,057-0,57 mg / kg if in the mouth), botulinum toxin spits on these vaccines of yours and hacks to death.

Fifth place

Amatoxins
In fact, this is a group of poisons, it all depends on what to attach in place of R1..R5. By nature, these are cyclic octapeptides consisting of eight amino acid residues. They are found in the fruiting bodies of mushrooms of the genus Amanita, Galerin and Lepiota - yes, the pale grebe is from here.

Amatoxins are one of the most powerful hepatotoxins in the world. So no matter how much you drink, %username%, it cannot be compared with this charm: amatoxins reliably block RNA polymerase II, which blocks the synthesis of messenger RNA and causes necrosis of hepatocytes. And since in our world one cannot survive without a liver, in general, you understand.

A particularly pleasant nuance of this rubbish is a long latent period: 6-30 hours. That is, you will not reliably have time to come to your senses and wash your stomach. Symptoms come on suddenly: severe vomiting (persistent), abdominal pain, diarrhea. In the products of diarrhea (well, you understand), blood is observed, since the destruction of intestinal enterocytes occurs. What is happening at this moment with the liver ... I really don’t even want to think. Growing weakness, violations of water and electrolyte balance. On the 2nd - 3rd day, signs of toxic hepatopathy develop: the liver enlarges, the mood worsens, jaundice appears and hemorrhagic diathesis occurs - this is when you are covered with a bloody rash. Nephropathy, hepatic-renal failure, hepatargia, anuria, coma develop. Everything is sad. Extremely severe poisoning occurs in children, it is especially dangerous if a large amount of toxins (more than 200 mg) has entered the body: in this case, the development of intoxication occurs at lightning speed, with the development of acute liver atrophy and a rapid death.

The main cause of death is acute liver failure, less often acute liver and kidney failure. Even if you survive, you will most likely get irreversible changes in the structure of the liver tissue, expressed by total necrosis.

How to be saved from this? Unfortunately, amatoxins are more resistant to heat than botulinum toxins. In any case, do not pretend to be a mushroom picker, and if you already went into the forest, find yourself something better to do! Do not buy mushrooms from grandmothers, even if they look very cute! Remember about Snow White - and you have neither gnomes nor familiar princes!

Oddly enough, high doses of penicillin help with intoxication. It is rumored that silibinin (silybin) - this is essentially a concentrate of milk thistle seed extract - is an antidote for amatoxins, but this is inaccurate. Many offer to participate in the tests, but for some reason no one agrees.

Fourth place

Aflatoxins

Aflatoxins are a group of polyketides produced by microscopic fungi (micromycetes) of several species of the genus Aspergillus (mainly A. flavus and A. parasiticus). These babies grow on grains, seeds, and fruits of plants with a high oil content, such as peanut seeds. Aflatoxins are formed over time and with improper storage in stale collections of tea and other herbs. The toxin is also found in the milk of animals that have consumed contaminated food.

Of all biologically produced poisons, aflatoxins are the most potent hepatocarcinogens discovered to date. When a high dose of poison enters the body, death occurs within a few days due to irreversible liver damage; when a low dose is ingested, chronic aflatoxicosis develops, characterized by suppression of the immune system, DNA damage, activation of oncogenes - liver cancer as a result. Yes, %username%, if you eat not very good peanuts or seeds, you will die. Maybe not immediately, but guaranteed and painfully.

Aflatoxins are resistant to heat treatment of the product - so this also applies to roasted peanuts.

In developed countries, strict monitoring of products where aflatoxins are most often found (peanuts, corn, pumpkin seeds, etc.) is carried out, infected lots are destroyed. For developing countries where such control is lacking, food contamination by mold fungi remains a serious factor in mortality. For example, in Mozambique, the death rate from liver cancer is 50 times higher than in France.

What country do you attribute yours to, %username%?

Let's raise the stakes! Third place

Mercury
and especially

Methylmercury

Everyone knows about the dangers of mercury. About the fact that breaking thermometers and playing with beautiful magic balls is not worth it - I hope too.

Mercury and all its compounds are poisonous. Exposure to mercury, even in small amounts, can cause serious health problems and pose a threat to fetal development and early childhood development. Mercury can be toxic to the nervous, digestive, and immune systems, as well as to the lungs, kidneys, skin, and eyes. WHO lists mercury as one of ten major chemicals or groups of chemicals of significant public health concern.

But really it is now. The same doctors up until the 1970s were very active in using mercury compounds:

• mercury chloride (I) (calomel) - laxative;
• Mercusal and Promeran are strong diuretics;
• mercury (II) chloride, mercury (II) cyanide, mercury amidochloride and yellow mercury (II) oxide - antiseptics (including as part of ointments).

There are cases when, during the volvulus of the intestines, a glass of mercury was poured into the stomach of the patient. According to the ancient healers who offered this method of treatment, mercury, due to its heaviness and mobility, had to pass through the intestines and, under its own weight, straighten its twisted parts.

Mercury preparations have been used since the 1963th century. (in the USSR until XNUMX) for the treatment of syphilis. This was due to the fact that pale treponema, which causes syphilis, is highly sensitive to organic and inorganic compounds that block the sulfhydryl groups of the thiol enzymes of the microbe - compounds of mercury, arsenic, bismuth and iodine. However, such treatment was not effective enough and very toxic for the patient's body, which also has sulfhydryl groups, albeit more than the unfortunate treponema. Such treatment led to complete hair loss and a high risk of developing serious complications. Nevertheless, kind, philanthropic doctors went even further: they used methods of general mercurization of the body, in which the patient was placed in a heated container, where mercury vapor was supplied. This technique, although relatively effective, the side effects and risk of fatal mercury poisoning led to its gradual elimination from clinical practice.

By the way, silver amalgam was used in dentistry as a material for dental fillings before the advent of light-curing materials. Remember this every time a pretty aunt with glasses bends over you!

The most poisonous vapors and soluble mercury compounds. The metallic mercury itself is less dangerous, but it gradually evaporates even at room temperature, and the vapors can cause severe poisoning - and by the way, the vapors do not smell. Mercury and its compounds (sublimate, calomel, cinnabar, mercury cyanide) affect the nervous system, liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and when inhaled, the respiratory tract. Mercury is a typical representative of cumulative poisons.

Organic mercury compounds, in particular, methylmercury, stand a little apart. It is formed, as a rule, as a result of the metabolism of bottom microorganisms when mercury is released into water bodies. The substance is highly toxic. The toxicity is greater than that of mercury, due to a more active interaction with the sulfhydryl groups of enzymes and, consequently, the inactivation of these enzymes. Since the substance is a covalent compound and is less polar than the mercury cation itself, the effect on the body is similar to heavy metal poisoning (in particular, mercury), but has a peculiarity: the damage to the nervous system is more pronounced. This lesion is known as Minamata disease.

For the first time, this syndrome was registered and studied in Japan, in Kumamoto Prefecture in the city of Minamata in 1956. The cause of the disease was the prolonged release of inorganic mercury into the Minamata Bay by Chisso, which was converted into methylmercury by benthic microorganisms in their metabolism, and since this compound tends to accumulate in organisms, as a result, the concentration in the tissues of organisms increases with an increase in their position in the food chain. . So, in fish in the Minamata Bay, the content of methylmercury ranged from 8 to 36 mg/kg, in oysters - up to 85 mg/kg, while in water it contained no more than 0,68 mg/l.

Symptoms include dysmotility, burning, tingling, and goosebumps in the extremities, impaired intelligibility, fatigue, ringing in the ears, narrowing of the field of vision, hearing loss, and clumsy movements. Some of the severe victims of the Minamata disease went mad, fainted, and died within a month of the onset of the disease.

There are also victims with chronic symptoms of Minamata disease, such as headaches, frequent fatigue, loss of smell and taste, and forgetfulness, which are subtle but make everyday life extremely difficult. In addition, there are patients with congenital Minamata disease who were born with an abnormality as a result of exposure to methylmercury while still in the womb of their mothers who ate contaminated fish.

Minamata disease has yet to be cured, so treatment consists of trying to reduce the symptoms and using physical rehabilitation therapy. In addition to the physical harm caused to health, there is also a social harm, which is discrimination against victims of Minamata disease. Well, %username%, do you still want to move to the Land of Fukushima, Minamata and the Rising Sun?

By the way, in 1996, in the city of Meisei, located near the bay, the Minamata Disease Museum was built. In 2006, a Memorial was built on the grounds of the museum to commemorate the victims of mercury poisoning from pollution in Minamata Bay. It is said that the victims were not relieved by this.

By the way, there is one more thing -

dimethylmercury

Well, this is already completely game, which is so toxic that it is practically not used or found anywhere. The colorless liquid is one of the strongest neurotoxins. It is alleged that it has a somewhat sweet smell, but science does not know people who would have checked this and had time to report their feelings. Although, due to its relative stability, dimethylmercury turned out to be one of the first discovered organometallic compounds. Well, people like to discover something that then mows them down very quickly, Oppenheimer approves.

So that you, %username%, are guaranteed to be sent to another world. enough 0,05-0,1 ml of this thing. The risk is further increased by the high vapor pressure of this liquid. By the way, dimethylmercury quickly (in seconds) penetrates through latex, PVC, polyisobutylene and neoprene, and is absorbed through the skin. Thus, most standard lab gloves are not reliable protection, and the only way to escape safely handling dimethylmercury is to use highly secure laminated gloves under a second elbow-length neoprene or other thick protective glove. The need to wear a long face shield and work under an exhaust hood is also noted. Do you still want to get acquainted with this sweet smell?

The toxicity of dimethylmercury was further highlighted by the death of inorganic chemist Karen Wetterhahn a few months after she spilled a few drops of the compound on her latex-gloved hand.

Dimethylmercury easily crosses the blood-brain barrier, probably due to the formation of a complex compound with cysteine. It is very slowly eliminated from the body and thus tends to bioaccumulate. Symptoms of poisoning may appear months later, often too late for effective treatment. So that.

The only thing that saves the world is that dimethylmercury has practically no applications (although here a certain Alexander Litvinenko is trying to say something). It is extremely rarely used in the calibration of NMR spectrographs for detecting mercury, although even here people who understand at least something usually prefer much less toxic salts of mercury for this purpose.

Second place

methanol

Everyone knows about methanol. But in my opinion it is underestimated.

The problem of methanol is not really his problem, but the problem of our body. After all, it contains the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (or ADH I), which was awarded to us by mother nature for the breakdown of alcohols. And if, in the case of ordinary ethanol, it breaks it down to acetaldehyde (hello, hangover!), And if you're lucky, it breaks it down to generally harmless and nutritious acetic acid in the form of acetyl-coenzyme A, then methanol has been messed up: it turns out toxic formaldehyde and formate . Apparently, Mother Nature has a very specific sense of humor.

The problem is aggravated by the fact that, according to daredevils (there are few of them), methanol tastes and smells no different from ordinary alcohol, and even more so when mixed with it. By the way, the iodoform reaction, when yellow iodoform precipitates with ethyl alcohol, and nothing precipitates with methanol, does not work to determine the methanol content in an ethanol solution.

1-2 milliliters of methanol per kilogram of carcass (that is, about 100 ml) is usually guaranteed to send daredevils to other interesting faces with wings behind their backs, and in view of the special predisposition of this substance to the optic nerve, only 10-20 ml makes a person blind. Forever.

Fortunately, the toxic effect of methanol develops over several hours, and effective antidotes can reduce the harm. Therefore, if for some reason you, %username%, feel a headache, general weakness, malaise, chills, nausea and vomiting after abuse, drink more. I'm not kidding: as indicated in the manual for an emergency doctor, in case of methanol poisoning, the antidote is ethanol, which is administered intravenously in the form of a 10% solution by drip or a 30-40% solution orally at the rate of 1-2 grams of solution per 1 kg of body weight per day . A beneficial effect in this case is provided by the diversion of the ADH I enzyme to the oxidation of exogenous ethanol. It should be noted that with an insufficiently accurate diagnosis, methanol poisoning can be taken as simple alcohol intoxication (as you noted above) or poisoning with 1,2-dichloroethane or carbon tetrachloride (organic solvents, which are still a gift, but not so bright) - in In this case, the introduction of an additional amount of ethyl alcohol is dangerous. In general, you are out of luck, %username%. Be strong.

Methanol poisoning is quite common. So, in the USA during 2013, 1747 cases were recorded (and yes - the USA). Many mass methanol poisonings are known:

• Mass methanol poisoning in Spain in early 1963; the official death toll is 51, but there are estimates ranging from 1000 to 5000.
• Mass poisoning with methanol in Bangalore (India) in July 1981. The death toll is 308 people.
• Mass poisoning with methanol-laced wine in Italy in the spring of 1986; 23 people died.
• Mass methanol poisoning in El Salvador in October 2000 caused the death of 122 people. The authorities suspected a terrorist attack, since methanol was not detected in alcoholic beverages at manufacturing plants during the investigation of the incident.
• Mass poisoning with methanol on September 9-10, 2001 in the city of Pärnu (Estonia); 68 people died.
• Mass poisoning with methanol in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia in September 2012; 51 people died.
• Mass poisoning with methanol on December 17-20, 2016 in Irkutsk (Russia). The death toll is 78 people.

For this reason, methanol took second place in our ranking. And it's not funny anymore.

Ta-dam! Fanfare! We have first place!

In the first place, we will not have some terribly toxic substance that can be found somewhere in some tropical animals or fish. So let's forget about tetrodotoxin and batrachotoxin.

It will not be some kind of inorganic that can only be found in special industries - such as beryllium nitrate, which, by the way, also tastes sweet, or arsenic chloride, so loved in the Middle Ages.

It will not be some kind of organic, which also cannot be found during the day with fire - such as ricin, or which has been studied a long time ago and lies in the medicine cabinet - such as strychnine or digitoxin.

It won't be the battered cyanide and hydrocyanic acid that epic fail happened to in Rasputin's case.

It will not be polonium-210 or VX, which is guaranteed to kill even in tiny doses - but is by no means available to the general public.

No, our leader will be a real killer, who has millions of lives on his account.

Carbon monoxide

In fact, it was carbon monoxide that sent a bunch of people to the next world. This colorless, odorless and tasteless gas enters the atmospheric air during any type of combustion. Carbon monoxide actively binds to hemoglobin, forming carboxyhemoglobin, and blocks the transfer of oxygen to tissue cells, which leads to hemic type hypoxia. Carbon monoxide is also involved in oxidative reactions, disrupting the biochemical balance in tissues. In this, its action is very similar to cyanide.

Poisoning is possible:

• in case of fires;
• in production, where carbon monoxide is used to synthesize a number of organic substances (acetone, methyl alcohol, phenol, etc.);
• in gasified rooms in which gas-using equipment (stoves, instantaneous water heaters, heat generators with an open combustion chamber) is operated in conditions of insufficient air exchange, for example, in case of a violation of draft in chimneys and / or ventilation ducts or a lack of supply air for gas combustion;
• in garages with poor ventilation, in other unventilated or poorly ventilated rooms, tunnels, since the car exhaust contains up to 1-3% CO according to the standards;
• when staying on a busy road for a long time or next to it - on large highways, the average concentration of COXNUMX exceeds the poisoning threshold;
• at home in case of leakage of lighting gas and in case of untimely closed stove dampers in rooms with stove heating (houses, baths);
• when using low-quality air in breathing apparatus;
• when smoking a hookah (yes, a very large percentage of people experience headaches, dizziness, nausea, drowsiness after smoking a hookah, which is due to carbon monoxide poisoning formed when there is a lack of oxygen in the hookah apparatus).

So you, %username%, have plenty of chances to get acquainted with poisoning.

At a content of 0,08% CO in the inhaled air, a person feels a headache and suffocation. With an increase in CO concentration to 0,32%, paralysis and loss of consciousness occur (death occurs after 30 minutes). At a concentration above 1,2%, consciousness is lost after two or three breaths, a person dies in less than 3 minutes in convulsions. At dotoxic concentrations (less than 0,08%), you can catch the following delights (as the concentration increases):

1. Decrease in the speed of psychomotor reactions, sometimes - a compensatory increase in blood flow to vital organs. In persons with severe cardiovascular insufficiency - chest pain during exercise, shortness of breath.
2. Minor headache, decreased mental and physical performance, shortness of breath with moderate physical exertion. Visual disturbances. May be fatal to the fetus, persons with severe heart failure.
3. Throbbing headache, dizziness, irritability, emotional instability, memory disorder, nausea, incoordination of small hand movements.
4. Severe headache, weakness, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, confusion.
5. Hallucinations, a severe violation of the coordination of muscle movement - it is for this reason that people often died in a fire.

How to help with carbon monoxide poisoning? Well, first of all, leave the zone of infection. By the way, an ordinary gas mask, wet rags on the face and cotton-gauze bandages do not save, carbon monoxide saw them all in an interesting place and calmly passes through them - you need a gas mask with a hopkalite cartridge - this is the one with copper oxide that oxidizes carbon monoxide to a safe carbon dioxide. And then - breathe, breathe! Breathe fresh air, or better, oxygen, give your unfortunate tissues and organs what they need!

World medicine does not know reliable antidotes for use in case of carbon monoxide poisoning. But! - be proud: Russian scientists have developed the innovative drug "Acyzol", positioned as an antidote (although for some reason other scientists have little faith in this). It is administered intramuscularly as a solution. It is also offered as a prophylactic. Russian scientists invite to test this drug, but for some reason even fewer people want it than in the case of an antidote for amatoxins.

That's it, %username%!

I hope I didn’t spoil your appetite, it was interesting, and you learned something new for yourself, and not just limited your diet and places to visit.

Health and good luck!

“Everything is poison, and nothing is without poison; one dose makes the poison invisible "

— Paracelsus

Source: habr.com