Poisoning is the harmful effect which occurs when Toxicity substances are introduced into the body.
Levels of Exposure
When a living organism is introduced to a poison, the symptoms that follow successful contact develop in close relation to the degree of exposure.
Acute exposure
Acute toxicity consists of a living organism being harmfully exposed to
poison once or more times during a brief period, with symptoms manifesting within 14 days since administration.
Chronic exposure
Chronic toxicity involves a living organism being exposed to a toxin on multiple instances over an extended period of time, whereas the symptoms either develop gradually or after a protracted latent period.
Chronic poisoning most commonly occurs following exposure to poisons that
bioaccumulate, or are
Biomagnification, such as mercury,
gadolinium, and
lead.
Methods
Accidental poisoning
In 2020, America's Poison Centers' NPDS (National Poison Data System) report determined that 76.9% of recorded toxin exposures were accidental, with the rest of the statistics either being deliberate or unexpected.
A large portion of these accidental incidents occurred due to mistakenly taking the incorrect medicine, or doubling one's dose by mistake.
Industry and Warfare
is a white, crystalline powder that closely resembles sugar. The 1858 Bradford sweets poisoning incident happened because it was mistaken for a sugar substitute ("daff").]]
Nerve agent are synthetic substances used in industry or
warfare that are specifically engineered to bring harm to living organisms.
They may
Paralysis a person in a matter of seconds or cease organ function, quickly resulting in
death. They're considered to be biologically derived
Neurotoxin, which are a genre of toxic agents that act specifically against the nervous system. Inhaled or ingested
cyanide (or
Zyklon B) was used as a method of
execution in
Gas chamber.
This method of poisoning instantly starved the body of energy by
Enzyme inhibitor the
enzymes in
mitochondria that produce ATP.
Intravenous injection of an unnaturally high concentration of potassium chloride, such as in the execution of prisoners in parts of the United States, quickly stops the
heart by eliminating the cell potential necessary for muscle contraction.
Pesticide exposure
Most biocides, including
Pesticide, are created to act as poisons to target organisms. Although acute or less observable chronic poisoning can also occur in non-target organisms (secondary poisoning), including the
Human who apply the biocides and other beneficial organisms.
For example, the herbicide 2,4-D imitates the action of a plant hormone, which makes its lethal toxicity specific to plants. Indeed, 2,4-D is not a poison, but is classified as harmful.
Toxication
Many substances regarded as poisons are toxic only indirectly through
toxication. An example is "wood alcohol" or
methanol, which is not poisonous itself but is chemically converted to toxic
formaldehyde and
formic acid once it reaches the
liver.
Many
Medication molecules are made toxic in the liver, and the genetic variability of certain liver
Enzyme makes the toxicity of many compounds differ between people.
Precautionary measures
As mandated in GHS, various safety-orientated government agencies from around the globe have put into place the usage of
Pictogram when labelling toxic substances.
The
hazard symbol which labels a substance as capable of poisoning depicts the imagery of a
human skull in front of two bones crossing one another.
GHS precautionary statements, which advise users to exercise caution or be aware of the substance's potentially dangerous features, are added to a legal toxins' labelling.
Various poison control centers are also available to assist in diagnosing, managing, and preventing possible incidents of poisoning.
Treatment
Seeking medical attention is strongly advised if someone is thought to have been exposed to or consumed a poison, mainly from a nearby poison control centre.
It is advised to provide medical personnel with information regarding the poisoning, the patient's age, weight, and any other drugs they may be taking in addition to the symptoms of the illness. Try to determine what was ingested, the amount and how long since the person was exposed to it. If possible, have on hand the pill bottle, medication package or other suspect container.
The treatment will depend on the substance to which the patient is exposed. Depending on the type of poisoning, some first aid measures may help. Treatments include activated charcoal, induction of vomiting and dilution or neutralizing of the poison.
See also
-
EPA list of extremely hazardous substances
-
Lists of poisonings
-
List of poisonous plants
-
List of types of poison
-
Opioid epidemic in the United States
External links
