cyanide poisoning

cyanide poisoning

      harmful effects of inhaling hydrogen cyanide or of ingesting the salts of hydrogen cyanide, called cyanides. Hydrogen cyanide, also known as hydrocyanic acid, or Hcn, is a highly volatile liquid used to prepare acrylonitrile, which is used in the production of acrylic fibres, synthetic rubber, and plastics. Cyanides are used in many chemical processes, including fumigation, case hardening of iron and steel, electroplating, and the concentration of ores. In nature, substances yielding cyanide are present in certain seeds, such as the pit of the wild cherry.

      Hydrogen cyanide is highly toxic because it inhibits the oxidative processes of the cells. Acute poisoning from hydrogen cyanide or the cyanides is manifested by dizziness, nausea, staggering, and loss of consciousness. Death may occur rapidly after swallowing as little as 300 milligrams of the salts or inhaling as little as 100 milligrams of hydrogen cyanide. Exposure to concentrations of 200–500 parts of hydrogen cyanide per 1,000,000 parts of air for 30 minutes is also usually fatal. In sublethal doses, the cyanide is rapidly detoxified by the human body through combination with sulfur to form nontoxic sulfocyanides, and recovery is usually complete within a few hours, with no permanent aftereffects.

      Because the poison acts with extreme rapidity, recovery from poisoning depends upon the promptness with which antidotes are administered. Fatalities may be prevented by such antidotes as amyl nitrite, sodium nitrite, and 25 percent sodium thiosulfate solution.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cyanide poisoning — Classification and external resources Cyanide ion ICD 10 T …   Wikipedia

  • cyanide poisoning — poisoning by cyanide compounds, potent rapid acting substances that cause cellular hypoxia by formation of an inactive complex of cytochrome oxidase and cyanide. Characteristics include nausea without vomiting, dizziness, convulsions,… …   Medical dictionary

  • cyanide poisoning — noun poisoning due to ingesting or inhaling cyanide; common in smoke from fires and in industrial chemicals • Hypernyms: ↑poisoning, ↑toxic condition, ↑intoxication …   Useful english dictionary

  • Cyanide (disambiguation) — Cyanide is a class of chemical compounds. Cyanide may also refer to: Cyanide and Happiness, a webcomic hosted on Explosm.net and written by four authors Cyanide poisoning, a form of poisoning that occurs when a living organism is exposed to a… …   Wikipedia

  • Cyanide — This article is about the class of chemical compounds. For other uses, see Cyanide (disambiguation). The cyanide ion, CN−. From the top: 1. Valence bond structure 2. Space filling model 3. Electrostatic potential surface 4. Carbon lone pair… …   Wikipedia

  • cyanide — /suy euh nuyd , nid/, n., v., cyanided, cyaniding. n. 1. Also, cyanid /suy euh nid/. Chem. a. a salt of hydrocyanic acid, as potassium cyanide, KCN. b. a nitrile, as methyl cyanide, C2H3N. v.t. 2. to treat with a cyanide, as an ore in order to… …   Universalium

  • cyanide — 1. The radical –CN or ion (CN)−. The ion is extremely poisonous, forming hydrocyanic acid in water, it has the odor of almond oil; inhibits respiratory proteins (cytochromes) at the cellular level. 2. A salt of HCN or a cyano containing …   Medical dictionary

  • poisoning — noun 1. the physiological state produced by a poison or other toxic substance • Syn: ↑toxic condition, ↑intoxication • Derivationally related forms: ↑intoxicate (for: ↑intoxication) • Hypernyms: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • Cyanide fishing — is a method of collecting live fish mainly for use in aquariums, which involves spraying a sodium cyanide mixture into the desired fish s habitat in order to stun the fish. The practice hurts not only the target population, but also many other… …   Wikipedia

  • Poisoning — Taking a substance that is injurious to health or can cause death. Poisoning is still a major hazard to children, despite child resistant (and sometimes adult resistant) packaging and dose limits per container. See also poison, Poison Control… …   Medical dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”