To give you a bit of scale on its potency: 1 gram of palytoxin can kill approximately 170 million mice – that's a lot of mice! This toxin is second only to maitotoxin in its lethality which has an LD50 in mice of 50 ng/kg.
"Palytoxin is the second deadliest poison in the world, one gramme can kill 80 people, though it has to be ingested to be lethal.
Botulinum toxin, the nerve agent commonly called botox, is best known for its miraculous effect on wrinkles. The toxin paralyses muscles in the skin so they relax.
Types of poison
In regard to poisoning, chemicals can be divided into three broad groups: agricultural and industrial chemicals, drugs and health care products, and biological poisons—i.e., plant and animal sources. These three groups, along with a fourth category, radiation, are discussed below.
It is called the “silent killer” because it is colorless, odorless, tasteless and non- irritating. If the early signs of CO poisoning are ignored, a person may lose consciousness and be unable to escape the danger. More people die from carbon monoxide exposure than any other kind of poisoning.
This article profiles the following poisons that have been used to perpetrate homicidal poisoning: arsenic, cyanide, thallium, strychnine, aconitine, atropine, and antimony.
feeling and being sick. diarrhoea. stomach pain. drowsiness, dizziness or weakness.
The acute toxicity of arsenic has been recognized since antiquity. Known as both the “king of poisons” and the “poison of kings,” the element's infamy grew during the Middle Ages as an almost untraceable means of murder.
Ethylene glycol is a colorless, odorless, sweet-tasting chemical. It is poisonous if swallowed. Ethylene glycol may be swallowed accidentally, or it may be taken deliberately in a suicide attempt or as a substitute for drinking alcohol (ethanol).
Thallium is tasteless and odorless and has been used by murderers as a difficult to detect poison.
Tetrodotoxin interferes with the transmission of signals from nerves to muscles and causes an increasing paralysis of the muscles of the body.
Blue death is extremely poisonous and can be fatal to humans.
Arsenic is known to be the most potent poison that has killed many lives. It has been used since ancient time and has a long and diverse history of use.
What are the different forms of poison? Poison comes in four forms: solids (such as medicine pills or tablets), liquids (such as household cleaners including bleach), sprays (such as spray cleaners), and gases (such as carbon monoxide).
The Poison-type was introduced in Pokémon Red & Green in 1996. At present, there are 93 different Pokémon, including unique forms and Mega Evolutions, that share this type and 34 different moves with it.
Cyanides can be produced by certain bacteria, fungi and algae. Cyanides are also found in cigarette smoke, in vehicle exhaust, and in foods such as spinach, bamboo shoots, almonds, lima beans, fruit pits and tapioca.
The heart-stopping mechanism of digoxin
When digoxin enters the body, it binds a transport protein called the sodium-potassium pump situated on heart cells. Binding of digoxin blocks the pump, ultimately resulting in heart muscle contraction caused by a complex chain of responses.
Strychnine is a white, odorless, bitter crystalline powder that can be taken by mouth, inhaled (breathed in), or mixed in a solution and given intravenously (injected directly into a vein). Strychnine is a strong poison; only a small amount is needed to produce severe effects in people.
Acute and chronic carbon monoxide poisoning can lead to altered mental status and prolonged cognitive difficulties. Some medications and environmental toxins can mimic brain death.
The symptoms of arsenic poisoning can be acute, or severe and immediate, or chronic, where damage to health is experienced over a longer period. This will often depend on the method of exposure. A person who has swallowed arsenic may show signs and symptoms within 30 minutes.
A person who inhales ricin will develop a cough within three hours. Nausea, diarrhea, and aches and pains will follow within 18 to 24 hours. If the dose is big enough, death will occur within 36 to 72 hours – from damage to the heart and blood vessels, and fluid in the lungs.
You can be exposed to thallium in air, water, and food. However, the levels of thallium in air and water are very low. The greatest exposure occurs when you eat food, mostly home-grown fruits and green vegetables contaminated by thallium.