October 7th, 2009
If you want to be healthy, pour yourself on, don't touch this rubbish, but rather bypass it altogether ...
The deadliest things on our planet.
Death cap- Destroying Angel. The first physical signs poisoning is usually nausea, vomiting, and bloody diarrhea. After feeling a little discomfort, sharp pain abdomen, severe vomiting, intense thirst, and cyanosis of the limbs, as well as yellowness of the eyes and skin as liver damage. The patient remains conscious almost to the end, with brief intervals of loss of consciousness, then coma and death.
Fish dog(Pufferfish). The poison, tetraodontoxin, is found in the ovaries of this fish and is not destroyed by heat treatment. In case of poisoning, speech is difficult, and paralysis of the respiratory system rapidly develops, accompanied by paralysis of the central nervous system... The cause of death is most often convulsions or respiratory arrest, which occur within one to two hours after the poison enters the body.
Castor oil plant- Castor Beans. Signs of poisoning - bitterness in the mouth, nausea, vomiting, convulsions, drowsiness, cyanosis, numbness, impaired microcirculation, blood in the urine, eventually coma, and death; poisonous agent even in low concentrations causes the dissolution of red blood cells, in severe cases, hemorrhages develop throughout the body. Castor oil plants can also lead to premature birth in pregnant women. Autopsies of patients who died from castor-bean poisoning show that vomit and stool contain blood.
Belladonna. All parts of the plant are deadly poisonous, especially its roots, leaves, and berries. The poison paralyzes the parasympathetic nervous system by blocking nerve endings.
Viper Venom... The snake's venom affects the blood and the nervous system, is less poisonous when it gets into the mouth than into the blood ... The victim of a viper bite bleeds from the wound, the temperature rises and chills occur. Poisoning is accompanied by swelling or hemorrhages above the elbows or knees. These signs usually appear within two hours of the bite. Then fainting, bleeding from the nose and mouth, loss of vision, followed by loss of consciousness. Death caused by cardiorespiratory disorders is inevitable if the antidote is not administered in time.
Barbados nut or Physical nut... The threat lies in the deceptively pleasant taste of the seeds. However, do not delude yourself - each seed contains at least 55 percent active substance"Hell oil", which blocks protein synthesis in the intestinal wall and can lead to death.
Hemlock... Signs of poisoning are a gradual loss of coordination, accompanied by a fast and weakened pulse, muscle pain as they atrophy and eventually die off. Although the mind remains clear, vision is often impaired until the victim is killed by paralysis of the lungs. It is believed that Socrates was poisoned with the juice of this particular plant, and not hemlock, as was previously believed.
Cobra venom possesses mainly neurotoxic effect... His strength is enough to cause the death of a person after the first full bite. In such cases, the death rate can exceed 75 percent. However, taking into account all the peculiarities of the behavior of the king cobra, in general, only 10 percent of the bites become fatal to humans.
Datura. All parts of the plant contain poisonous alkaloids. When hit in gastrointestinal tract affect the nervous system, causing cardiac dysfunction and paralysis.
Lily of the valley. Contains a fairly high concentration of cardiac glycoside, in small doses stimulates the work of a weakened heart muscle, but in case of an overdose it leads to arrhythmias and blockade of the electrical conduction of the heart, which is necessary for its normal contractions. All parts of the plant are poisonous. Poisoning is manifested by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, severe headache. pain and pain in the epigastric region. V severe cases the rhythm and heart rate are disturbed, and the pulse, as a rule, becomes rare. Sometimes the nervous system is also affected. This is evidenced by agitation, visual disturbances, convulsions, loss of consciousness.
Aconite It has neurotoxic and cardiotoxic effects. Symptoms of poisoning are nausea, vomiting, numbness of the tongue, lips, cheeks, tips of fingers and toes, a feeling of crawling, a feeling of heat and cold in the extremities. For intoxication with aconite, a transient visual disorder is characteristic - the patient sees objects in green. Salivation is also noted, alternating with dryness. oral cavity thirst appears, headache, restlessness, convulsive twitching of the muscles of the face and limbs, loss of consciousness. Breathing is quickened, shallow, it may suddenly stop.
Rhododendron. They contain substances of a glucosidic nature - andromedotoxin, ericolin. Andromedotoxin has a local irritating and general narcotic effect, first exciting, then oppressing the central nervous system; strongly upsets the activity of the heart, in a peculiar way, like veratrin, it affects the muscle. Poisoning develops very quickly. Often, within a few hours after eating the leaves and branches of the rhododendron, death occurs.
Tubocurarine chloride. White crystalline powder, in traumatology, d-tubocurarine is sometimes used to relax muscles during reposition of fragments, reduction of complex dislocations ... Side effects from the use of tubocurarine are observed only with its overdose; in this case, the patient may develop respiratory failure due to paralysis of the respiratory muscles and, as a result, death.
Rhubarb... Rhubarb can be eaten only in early spring, until the air temperature has risen above 15-17 ° C. In early spring, malic acid predominates in rhubarb, then its content increases, and as the temperature rises in hot weather, oxalic acid accumulates in the petioles, which is harmful to the body: it forms poorly removed salts and removes calcium from the blood. The consumption of oxalic acid at once in the amount of 3-4 g is dangerous not only for children, but also for adults. In case of poisoning, vomiting and convulsions may appear, renal failure... In the first two days, death can occur from asphyxia, shock, cardiovascular failure. In the next 2 weeks after poisoning, such severe complications, such as acute renal failure, repeated collapses, profuse bleeding, hemorrhagic pneumonia, gastric perforation, which can lead the patient to death.
Gila monster- a large reptile, with a very beautiful black and orange pattern all over its body. Latin name this beautiful lizard is Heloderma suspectum or gila-toothed. On the top and lower jaw there are grooves to which the channels of highly developed venom glands fit. When bitten, the teeth go deep into the victim's body. Gila monster bites are very painful and act in much the same way as snake bites. The poison is neurotoxic, that is, when it bites, it paralyzes its victim. For small animals, lizard venom is fatal; in humans, it usually causes very severe swelling, but sometimes it can lead to death.
Croton oil- the liquid obtained from the seeds of the Croton tiglium plant. It has a strong laxative effect, irritating the skin and mucous membranes. Even in small quantities (over 20 drops) it is life-threatening. Crotonal is toxic and mutagenic. When a person inhales its vapors, irritation of the mucous membrane, pharyngitis, cough, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, the onset of shock or unconsciousness occurs. Direct contact with liquid results in severe skin redness, irritation, pain and burns. When the poison enters the body, the whole organism is poisoned, the central nervous system is damaged, and tumors are formed. In the case of tactile contact, scarring of the skin is formed.
Digitalis. Nowadays, foxglove purple is used for the production of drugs that stimulate work of cardio-vascular system... Active biological substances from foxglove tend to accumulate in the body and can be harmful or even fatal to a person with a healthy heart. The foxglove grass and rhizomes are saturated with the digitalin toxin. Poisoning is accompanied by irritation of the gastrointestinal tract, the pulse becomes rapid and arrhythmic, there is general weakness and shortness of breath. The development of seizures before death is possible.
Codeine is an almost transparent, odorless substance with a rather bitter taste, which is available in either powder or liquid form. When used in high doses, like other opiates, it can cause euphoria. Often when taking a large number tablets of some codeine-containing drugs, serious poisoning is possible. Due to the fact that with regular use of codeine there is an addictive phenomenon (similar to addiction to heroin and other drugs of the opiate group), it is dispensed with the same restrictions as other narcotic analgesics. In severe codeine poisoning, breathing disorders are possible, up to paralysis with preserved consciousness, as well as a significant fall blood pressure.
Poisonous octopus(blue ringed octopus). Its poison, which belongs to the group of neurotoxins, is so powerful that it can kill an adult, especially if the octopus has bitten on the neck or in the area close to the spine. There is simply no vaccine for its poison
Dimethyl sulfate... Used in the manufacture of paints, drugs, perfumes, and pesticides, most dimethyl sulfate poisoning occurs due to liquid or vapor leaks. Signs of poisoning will be more pronounced if alcohol is present.Nausea, vomiting, weakness, dizziness, headache occurs. Fever, excitability, pain in the extremities, visual and hearing impairments, mental disorders are possible. In severe cases, tremor, ataxia, loss of consciousness, paroxysmal clonic-tonic convulsions, resembling epileptic seizures, coma. Pathological examination reveals pronounced vascular disorders and degenerative changes v parenchymal organs, brain and adrenal glands.
Nicotine. It is calculated that lethal dose nicotine for humans is 1 mg per 1 kg of body weight, i.e. about 50 - 70 mg for a teenager. Consequently, death can occur if a teenager smokes half a pack of cigarettes at the same time, because the whole pack contains just one lethal dose of nicotine.
Wart. A fish with a row of spines on its back that release a toxic toxin. It is the most dangerous poisonous fish known and its venom causes severe pain with possible shock, paralysis and tissue death, depending on the depth of penetration. At the slightest irritation, the wart raises the spines of the dorsal fin; sharp and durable, they easily pierce the shoes of a person who accidentally stepped on a fish, and penetrate deep into the leg. With deep penetration, the injection can be fatal to a person if he is not given health care during few hours. If a thorn hits a large blood vessel, death can occur in 2-3 hours. Survivors sometimes get sick for months. The poison consists of a mixture of proteins, including hemolytic stonustoxin, neurotoxin and cardioactive cardioleptin. Surviving victims usually suffer from localized nerve damage, sometimes resulting in atrophy of the attached muscle tissue. The pain can be so severe that the victims of the injection want to cut off the injured limb.
Hydrogen sulfide- a colorless poisonous gas heavier than air with an unpleasant odor rotten eggs... It can be released during the decay process, accumulates in the lowlands. Very toxic. At high concentrations, a single inhalation can cause instant death. At low concentrations, adaptation to unpleasant odor"Rotten eggs", and it ceases to be felt. There is a sweetish in the mouth metallic taste... The first symptom acute poisoning loss of smell serves. In the future, headache, dizziness and nausea appear. Sometimes after a while they come sudden fainting.
Oleander- a large evergreen shrub. All parts of the plant are poisonous, moreover, the smoke from the burning plant and the water in which the flowers stood are poisonous. The plant contains a number of cardiac glycosides (oleandrin, cornerin, etc.). Oleander juice, taken internally, causes severe colic in humans and animals, vomiting and diarrhea ... It also affects the nervous system (up to coma). Cardiac glycosides cause cardiac arrest.
Phencyclidine(phencyclidine, PCP) - widely used in veterinary medicine for short-term immobilization of large animals. It has been noted to induce dissociated anesthesia. Phencyclidine is easy to synthesize. Phencyclidine users are primarily young people and polydrug addicts. The true prevalence of phencyclidine addiction is unknown, however, according to national data, cases in the United States in recent times have become more frequent. Phencyclidine is either taken orally, smoked, or administered intravenously. It is also used as an additive to the illicitly marketed deltatetrahydrocannabinol, LSD and cocaine. The most common artisanal drug phencyclidine is called "angel dust". Low doses of phencyclidine (5 mg) cause anxiety, agitation, impaired coordination, dysarthria, and anesthesia. Horizontal and vertical nystagmus, hot flashes, profuse sweat, hyperacusis are also possible. Mental disorders include body schema disorder, incoherent thinking, derealization, and depersonalization. Higher doses (5-10 mg) cause increased salivation, vomiting, myoclonus, hyperthermia, stupor and coma. In doses of 10 mg or more, phencyclidine causes epileptic seizures, opisthotonus and decerebral rigidity, followed by prolonged coma. Acute phencyclidine-induced psychosis should be considered a psychiatric emergency with high risk suicide or violent crimes.
Parathion(Parathion) - organophosphorus compound - pesticide; poisoning occurs when it is inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin. Like some other organophosphorus compounds, parathion acts on the cholinesterase enzyme, leading to overstimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system. Symptoms of poisoning are headaches, profuse sweating and salivation, lacrimation, vomiting, diarrhea and muscle spasms.
TEPP cholinesterase inhibitor-Used primarily as an insecticide and may cause poisoning. Symptoms - headache, loss of depth perception, seizures, sweating, chest pains, shortness of breath, vomiting, general paralysis, involuntary urination and defecation, pressure drop, death.
Yew tree... All parts of the plant are poisonous, except for the red fruits. The wood, bark and leaves of the yew tree contain the alkaloid taxin and therefore are poisonous to humans and many other animals, although, for example, hares and deer, eat yews willingly and without harm to themselves. The older the needles of a yew tree, the more poisonous they are.
Carbon tetrachloride(Carbon Tetrachloride) is a corrosive volatile liquid used as a dry cleaner. If inhaled or swallowed, it leads to severe damage to the heart, liver and kidneys (for example, the patient may develop cirrhosis of the liver or nephrosis of the kidneys), affects optic nerve and some other nerves in the human body.
Strychnine- an alkaloid contained in the seeds of tropical plants of the genus Strychnos. It has an exciting effect on the central nervous system, in toxic doses it causes characteristic tetanic convulsions ...
Clostridium botulinum(Clostridium botulinum) is a gram-positive bacterium of the genus Clostridium, the causative agent of botulism, a severe food intoxication caused by botulinum toxin and characterized by damage to the nervous system. Botulinum toxin accumulates in food products infected with C. botulunum spores, during their germination, if anaerobic conditions are created (for example, when canning). For humans, botulinum toxin is the most potent bacterial poison, destructively acting at a dose of 10-8 mg / kg. C. botulinum spores withstand boiling for 6 hours, sterilization at high pressure destroys them after 20 minutes, 10% hydrochloric acid - after 1 hour, 50% formalin after 24 hours. Botulinum toxin type A (B) is completely destroyed by boiling for 25 minutes. The incubation period for botulism ranges from several hours to 2-5 days (rarely up to 10 days). On the first day, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are noted. Further, neurosymptoms associated with lesion predominate. nerve centers: violation of accommodation, double vision, difficulty swallowing, aphonia. In severe forms of botulism, death occurs from respiratory paralysis, sometimes from sudden stop hearts.
Potassium cyanide - potassium salt hydrocyanic acid chemical formula KCN. Strong inorganic poison. When hit through digestive tract the lethal dose for humans is 1.7 mg / kg. Sometimes large doses are tolerated, slowing down the action is possible when the stomach is filled with food. Potassium cyanide is a potent inhibitor. When it enters the body, it blocks the cellular enzyme cytochrome c-oxidase, as a result of which the cells lose their ability to absorb oxygen from the blood and the body dies from interstitial hypoxia.
Trying to figure out which poison is the most powerful in nature is doomed to failure in advance - too many variables affect the results. Nevertheless, if we take only one parameter - the average lethal dose, only one species of living creatures - laboratory mice, only one route of administration - intramuscular, to evaluate not whole poisons, but their individual components, then some idea of "ideal killers" can be obtained ...
1. Botulinum toxin
Many poisons can be fatal in small doses, so it is rather difficult to identify the most dangerous. However, many experts agree that botulinum toxin, which is used in Botox injections to smooth wrinkles, is the strongest.
Botulism is serious illness, leading to paralysis, is caused by botulinum toxin, which is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. This poison causes damage to the nervous system, respiratory arrest and death in terrible agony.
Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, double vision, facial muscle weakness, speech defects, difficulty swallowing, and others. The bacteria can enter the body through food (usually poorly canned foods) and through open wounds.
2. Ricin poison
Ricin is a natural poison that is obtained from the castor beans of the castor bean plant. A few grains are enough to kill an adult. Ricin kills cells in the human body, preventing the production of the proteins it needs, resulting in organ failure. A person can become poisoned with ricin through inhalation or after ingestion.
If inhaled, symptoms of poisoning usually appear 8 hours after exposure, and include difficulty breathing, fever, cough, nausea, sweating, and chest tightness.
If swallowed, symptoms appear in less than 6 hours and include nausea and diarrhea (possibly bloody), low blood pressure, hallucinations and seizures. Death can occur in 36-72 hours.
3. Sarin gas
Sarin is one of the most dangerous and deadly nerve gases, hundreds of times more toxic than cyanide. Sarin was originally produced as a pesticide, but soon this clear, odorless gas became a powerful chemical weapon.
A person can be poisoned with sarin by inhalation or exposure to the gas on the eyes and skin. At first, symptoms such as a runny nose and tightness in the chest may appear, breathing becomes difficult and nausea occurs.
Then the person loses control over all the functions of his body and falls into a coma, convulsions and spasms occur, until suffocation occurs.
4. Tetrodotoxin
This deadly poison is contained in the organs of the puffer fish, from which the famous Japanese delicacy "fugu" is prepared. Tetrodotoxin persists in the skin, liver, intestines and other organs, even after the fish has been cooked.
This toxin causes paralysis, seizures, mental disorder and other symptoms. Death occurs within 6 hours after the ingestion of the poison.
It is known that every year several people die from excruciating deaths from tetrodotoxin poisoning after consuming fugu.
5. Potassium cyanide
Potassium cyanide is one of the fastest deadly poisons known to mankind. It can be in the form of crystals and a colorless gas with a "bitter almond" odor. Cyanide can be found in some foods and plants. It is found in cigarettes and is used to make plastics, photographs, extract gold from ore, and kill unwanted insects.
Cyanide was used in ancient times, and in modern world he was a method death penalty... Poisoning can occur by inhalation, ingestion and even touching, causing symptoms such as seizures, respiratory distress and in severe cases, death, which can occur within minutes. It kills by binding to iron in blood cells, making them unable to carry oxygen.
6. Mercury and mercury poisoning
There are three forms of mercury that can be potentially hazardous: elemental, inorganic, and organic. Elemental mercury, which is found in mercury thermometers, old fillings, and fluorescent lamps, is non-toxic to contact but can be fatal if inhaled.
Inhalation of mercury vapor (metal quickly turns to gas at room temperature) affects the lungs and brain, shutting down the central nervous system.
Inorganic mercury, which is used to make batteries, can be fatal if swallowed, causing kidney damage and other symptoms. Organic mercury, found in fish and seafood, is usually hazardous with prolonged exposure. Poisoning symptoms can include memory loss, blindness, seizures, and others.
7. Strychnine and strychnine poisoning
Strychnine is a white, odorless, bitter, crystalline powder that can be ingested, inhaled, in solution, and when administered intravenously.
It is obtained from the seeds of the Chilibuhi tree (Strychnos nux-vomica), which grows in India and South-East Asia... Although it is often used as a pesticide, it can also be found in drugs such as heroin and cocaine.
The degree of strychnine poisoning depends on the amount and route of entry into the body, but in order to cause serious condition a small amount of this poison is enough. Poisoning symptoms include muscle spasms, respiratory failure and even lead to brain death 30 minutes after exposure.
8. Arsenic and arsenic poisoning
Arsenic, which is the 33rd element in the periodic table, has long been synonymous with poison. It was often used as a favorite poison in political assassinations, as arsenic poisoning resembled the symptoms of cholera.
Arsenic is considered a heavy metal with properties similar to those of lead and mercury. In high concentrations, it can lead to symptoms of poisoning such as abdominal pain, cramps, coma and death. In small amounts, it can contribute to a number of diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
9. Curare poison
Curare is a mixture of various South American plants that has been used to make poison arrows. Curare has been used medicinally in a highly diluted form. The main poison is an alkaloid, which causes paralysis and death, as well as strychnine and hemlock. However, after respiratory paralysis occurs, the heart may continue to beat.
Death from curare is slow and painful, as the victim remains conscious, but cannot move or speak. However, if we apply artificial respiration before the poison settles, the person can be saved. The Amazon tribes used curare to hunt animals, but the poisoned animal meat was not dangerous to those who ate it.
10. Batrachotoxin
Fortunately, the chances of encountering this poison are very small. The batrachotoxin, found in the skin of tiny poison dart frogs, is one of the most potent neutrotoxins in the world.
The frogs themselves do not produce poison; it accumulates from the foods they consume, mainly small bugs. The most dangerous content of the poison was found in a species of terrible leaf climber frogs that live in Colombia.
One representative contains enough batrachotoxin to kill two dozen people or several elephants. The poison attacks the nerves, especially around the heart, makes breathing difficult and quickly leads to death.
A noisy neighbor, an unfaithful husband, a successful colleague are the main victims of poisoning in detective series. But life sometimes spins such plots that the directors never dreamed of! Of course, the river is full of pools, and the freshly washed marble steps are very insidious ... But for criminals, the attraction of poisoning as a method of murder lies in the invisibility of poisons. But only modern expertise is able to detect most of them. How poisons are recognized, the correspondent of "R" found out.
At the request "How to poison a person?" google produces 387 thousand results. Arsenic is at the top. Until the 19th century, poisoning by this "king of poisons" was difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are similar to those of cholera. It was easy to get arsenic then - all you had to do was send the servant to the pharmacy for a deadly vial. Today it is extremely difficult to get this poison: due to its toxicity in dentistry, for example, it has been replaced with safer medicines.
- Arsenic, or rather, its compounds - powdery crystalline substances. On contact with aqueous media, they form an extremely toxic compound of arsenic with hydrogen - arsine. Arsin kills all living things in its path, - the head of the department of forensic chemical examinations of the central office of the State Committee for forensic examinations introduces me Yuri Sinkevich.
The expert must not only confirm the fact of poisoning, but also determine the substance. It can be heavy metals, and household solvents, and alcohol substitutes, and drugs, and even pesticides. Heavy metals, for example, accumulates in the hair. According to them, you can establish exactly when a person was poisoned:
- The average human hair growth rate is 1.5 centimeters per month. Based on this, we cut the hair into sections and examine them for the presence of substances. We can establish with an accuracy of up to a month when a person was exposed to the poison. You can tell by the hair whether a person smokes, uses drugs, and even likes coffee.
Yuri Sinkevich loads samples into a special device, which we will analyze for the presence of arsenic in them. A temperature of 2.5 thousand degrees is created in the device, at which substances are atomized. If there are arsenic atoms in the atomic vapor, the device will show it. The device is so sensitive that it will detect arsenic in samples of a person who ate seafood the day before, which is characterized by increased content this item. After a few minutes, we get the result - no arsenic was found in the samples.
... In everyday life, phosphine is widely used for pest control. This poisonous gas is also used to kill insects and other living creatures during quarantine measures with fruits brought from abroad.
- Samples of three dead people and a dog were delivered to us, - Yuri Sinkevich comments on the case of group poisoning. - It turned out that all the victims spent the night in one of the warehouses, where quarantine measures were taking place at that time. The warehousekeeper has applied phosphorus compounds throughout. Those on contact with air released phosphine. The poisonous gas killed not only the insects in the fruit crates, but also the people who spent the night in the warehouse.
Some substances can become extremely toxic if not properly dosed. No wonder the famous medieval physician Paracelsus wrote that "everything is poison, and nothing is devoid of poisonousness." Sodium nitrite, for example, is widely used in the production of sausages. It gives the products an appetizing pinkish tint. But one teaspoon of sodium nitrite is a lethal dose for humans. Once they poisoned a whole family: grandfather, grandmother and grandson died at home, mother managed to get to work.
- Having studied their food products, we found out that all soups and cereals were not salted edible salt, and sodium nitrite,- the expert recalls the circumstances of the group poisoning. - Outwardly, the substance looks like table salt"Extra". The same fine-grained crystalline, but the taste is the same salty. At first glance, the difference - a small characteristic yellowish tint of salt - can only be caught by a specialist.
Poisoning is more often random. But people are also deliberately poisoned. Thus, a corporate party for one woman from Minsk ended with an examination. “I drank thirty grams of vodka, but it was like a half bottle. And then my colleague persistently put me behind the wheel ... ”- she complained, giving the experts her blood samples for analysis. Examination found sleeping pills in her samples.
Sometimes karma interferes with the insidious plan of the poisoner. The woman tried to poison a friend by adding mercury from a thermometer to her soup. The failed criminal did not take into account the laws of chemistry and, breathing in the fumes of mercury, she herself ended up with severe poisoning in the hospital.
About 70% of all poisonings are caused by ethyl alcohol and alcohol-containing liquids. Methyl alcohol on appearance, smell and taste are almost indistinguishable from ethanol. But for a lethal outcome, 30-50 milliliters are enough. And "mistake" is tantamount to death. This is confirmed by the recent mass death of people from the "Hawthorn" product containing methanol.
Mass poisonings also occur. One of the loudest happened in 2007. In the blood of the victims, the content of bilirubin, which indicated liver damage, went off scale for 500 units at a rate of about 10. The experts found out that the alcohol-containing liquid that the victims drank was technical.
Sometimes in the laboratory of the state committee, stories are twisted worse than detective stories. Experts remember how in the 1980s an employee of the Opera and Ballet Theater took revenge on a colleague by pouring thallium into his champagne. But the poisoned bottle was taken by other people every time. Based on this crime, they even filmed the issue "The investigation was conducted ..." on NTV. After the arrest, the criminal confessed that he got thallium from his brother-chemist.
In the past, poisoning was widespread as a method of murder. It was easy to buy the poison, but it was difficult to confirm the poisoning. Nowadays, there are not many truly poisonous drugs in pharmacies, and most of them require a prescription to buy. Enter into the search engine "buy deadly poison" - and this request will remain in your search history, giving you out. And the expertise has stepped far forward: as soon as a way is found to detect a certain poison, criminal interest in it immediately disappears.
Inna Gorbatenko, "Respublika", September 1, 2017
(photo - Arthur Prupas)
There are many poisons of a very different nature in the world. Some of them act almost instantly, others can torment the victim of poisoning for years, slowly destroying it from the inside. True, the concept of poison has no clear boundaries. It all depends on concentration. And often the same substance can act as a deadly poison, and in the role of one of the most necessary components to maintain life. A striking example of such duality are vitamins - even a slight excess of their concentration can completely destroy health or kill on the spot.
Here we propose to look at 10 substances that belong to pure poisons, and are included in the group of the most dangerous and fast-acting.
Cyanide
A rather large group of hydrocyanic acid salts is called cyanides. They are all, like the acid itself, extremely poisonous. In the last century, both hydrocyanic acid and cyanogen chloride were used as chemical warfare agents, and on their account tens of thousands of lives.
Potassium cyanide is also famous for its extreme toxicity. Just 200-300 mg of this white powder resembling granulated sugar is enough to kill an adult in just a few seconds. Thanks to such a small dosage and incredibly fast death, this poison was chosen to die by Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, Hermann Goering and other Nazis.
They tried to poison Grigory Rasputin with this poison. True, the senders mixed cyanide into sweet wine and cakes, not knowing that sugar is one of the most powerful antidotes for this poison. So in the end they had to use a pistol.
Anthrax bacillus
Anthrax is a very serious, rapidly developing disease caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis. There are several forms anthrax... The most "harmless" is the skin. Even in the absence of treatment, mortality from this form does not exceed 20%. The intestinal form kills about half of the sick, but the pulmonary form is almost certain death. Even with the help the latest techniques treatment modern doctors it is possible to save no more than 5% of patients.
Zarin
Sarin was created by German scientists trying to synthesize a powerful pesticide. But this deadly poison, causing a quick but very painful death, acquired its gloomy fame not in agricultural fields, but as a chemical weapon. Sarin was produced in tons for decades for military purposes, and only in 1993 was its production banned. But despite calls for the complete destruction of all stocks of this substance, in our time it is used by both terrorists and the military.
Amatoxins
Amatoxins are a whole group of poisons of a protein nature contained in poisonous mushrooms of the amish family, including the deadly toadstool. The particular danger of these poisons lies in their "slowness". Once in the human body, they immediately begin their destructive activity, but the victim begins to feel the first malaise not earlier than after 10 hours, and sometimes even after several days, when it is already very difficult for doctors to do something. Even if such a patient can be saved, he will still suffer for the rest of his life from excruciating dysfunctions of the liver, kidneys and lungs.
Strychnine
Strychnine is found in large quantities in the nuts of the tropical chilibuha tree. It was from them that it was obtained in 1818 by the French chemists Pelletier and Cavantu. In small doses, strychnine can be used as a medicine that increases metabolic processes, improves heart function and treats paralysis. It was even actively used as an antidote for barbiturate poisoning.
However, this is one of the most strong poisons... Its lethal dose is even less than that of the famous potassium cyanide, but it acts much more slowly. Death from strychnine poisoning occurs after about half an hour of terrible torment and severe convulsions.
Mercury
Mercury is extremely dangerous in all its manifestations, but its vapors and soluble compounds are especially harmful. Even small amounts of mercury that enter the body cause severe damage to the nervous system, liver, kidneys and the entire gastrointestinal tract.
When small amounts of mercury enter the body, the poisoning process proceeds gradually, but inevitably, since this poison is not excreted, but, on the contrary, accumulates. In ancient times, mercury was widely used for the production of mirrors, as well as felt for hats. Chronic poisoning mercury vapor, expressed in behavioral disorder up to complete insanity, at that time was called the "disease of the old hatter."
Tetrodotoxin
This extremely powerful poison is found in the liver, milk and caviar of the famous puffer fish, as well as in the skin and caviar of some species of tropical frogs, octopus, crabs, and the caviar of the California newt. The Europeans first became acquainted with the effects of this poison in 1774, when the team ate an unknown tropical fish on the ship of James Cook, and the slops from lunch were given to the ship's pigs. By morning, all the people were seriously ill, and the pigs died.
Tetrodotoxin poisoning is very serious, and even today doctors manage to save less than half of all poisoned people.
It is interesting to note that the famous Japanese delicacy, puffer fish, is made from fish in which the content of the most dangerous toxin exceeds the lethal doses for humans. Lovers of this treat literally entrust their lives to the art of the cook. But no matter how hard the cooks try, accidents cannot be avoided, and every year several gourmets die, eating an exquisite dish.
Ricin
Ricin is an extremely potent vegetable poison. A great danger is the inhalation of its smallest grains. Ricin is about 6 times more potent than potassium cyanide, but it was not used as a weapon of mass destruction due to purely technical difficulties. But various special services and terrorists "love" this substance very much. Politicians and public figures receive letters filled with ricin with enviable regularity. True, the case rarely comes to death, since the penetration of ricin through the lungs has a rather low efficiency. For a 100% result, ricin must be injected directly into the bloodstream.
V-Ex (VX)
VX, or, as it is also called, VI-gas, refers to the category of military poisonous gases that have a nerve-paralytic effect. He, too, was born as a new pesticide, but soon the military began to use it for their own purposes. Symptoms of poisoning with this gas appear within 1 minute after inhalation or contact with the skin, and death occurs within 10-15 minutes.
Botulism toxin
Botulinum toxin is produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which are pathogens the most dangerous disease- botulism. It is the strongest poison of organic nature and one of the strongest poisons in the world. In the last century, botulinum toxin was included in the arsenals of chemical weapons, but at the same time, active research was carried out regarding its use in medicine. And today great amount people who want to restore skin smoothness at least for a while are influenced by this terrible poison, which is part of the most popular medicinal product"Botox", which once again confirms the validity of the famous statement of the great Paracelsus: "Everything is poison, everything is medicine; both are determined by the dose. "
Poison - very popular remedy for murder in literature. The books about Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes have developed a love of fast-acting, non-traceable poisons in readers. But poisons are widespread not only in the literature, there are also real cases of using poisons. Here are a dozen known poisons that have been used to kill people for a long time.
10. Hemlock Hemlock, also known as Omega, is a highly toxic flower native to Europe and South Africa. It was very popular with the ancient Greeks, who killed their prisoners with it. The fatal dose for an adult is 100 milligrams of omega (about 8 leaves of the plant). Death occurs as a result of paralysis, consciousness remains clear, but the body stops responding and soon the respiratory system fails. The most known case poisoning with this poison is the death of the Greek philosopher Socrates. In 399 BC, he was sentenced to death for disrespect for Greek gods- the sentence was carried out with the help of a concentrated infusion of Hemlock.
9. Aconite
Aconite is obtained from the wrestler plant. This poison leaves behind only one posthumous sign - suffocation. The poison causes severe arrhythmias, which ultimately leads to suffocation. You can even get poisoned by simply touching the leaves of the plant without gloves, since the substance is very quickly and easily absorbed. Due to the difficulty in finding the remains of this poison in the body, it has become popular among people trying to commit untraceable murder. Despite this, aconite has its own famous sacrifice. Emperor Claudius poisoned his wife Agrippina with aconite in a mushroom platter.
8. Belladonna
This is the favorite poison among girls! Even the name of the plant from which it is derived comes from Italian and means “ Beautiful woman". Initially, the plant was used in the Middle Ages for cosmetic needs - eye drops were made from it, which dilated the pupils, which made women more seductive (at least they thought so). Rubbing a little on their cheeks would give them a reddish tint, which is now achieved with blush. It seems that the plant is not very scary? In fact, if taken internally, even one leaf can be lethal, which is why it was used to make poisonous arrowheads. Belladonna berries are the most dangerous - 10 attractive berries can be fatal.
7. Dimethylmercury
It is a man-made slow killer. But this is what makes him so much more dangerous. A 0.1 milliliter dose is fatal. However, the symptoms of poisoning become apparent only after several months, which greatly complicates the treatment. In 1996, a chemistry teacher from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire dropped a drop of poison on her hand - dimethylmercury passed through a latex glove, symptoms of poisoning appeared four months later, and ten months later she died.
6. Tetrodotoxin
This substance is found in sea creatures - the blue-ringed octopus and puffer fish (puffer). The octopus is more dangerous, as it deliberately poisons the victim with this poison, from which death occurs within a few minutes. The amount of poison released in one bite is enough to kill 26 adults in a few minutes, and the bites are usually so painless that the victim realizes that he was bitten only when paralysis sets in. Blowfish are only dangerous if you intend to eat them. If the pufferfish fugu dish is prepared correctly, then all its poison completely evaporates, and it can be consumed without any consequences, except for the adrenaline rush from the thought that the cook made a mistake in preparing the dish.
5. Polonium
Polonium is a slow-acting radioactive poison for which there is no cure. One gram of polonium can kill about 1.5 million people in a few months. Most famous case polonium poisoning - murder former employee KGB-FSB Alexander Litvinenko. The remnants of polonium were found in his body at a dose 200 times higher than necessary for death. He died in three weeks.
4. Mercury
There are three very dangerous types of mercury. Elemental mercury can be found in glass thermometers. It is harmless to touch, but fatal if inhaled. Inorganic mercury is used in the manufacture of batteries and is only lethal if taken internally. Organic mercury is found in fish such as tuna and swordfish (you cannot eat more than 170 grams of their meat per week). If you consume these types of fish for too long, harmful substance can accumulate in the body. A notorious death from mercury is the death of Amadeus Mozart, who was given mercury pills to treat syphilis.
3. Cyanide
This poison was used in the books of Agatha Christie. Cyanide is very popular (spies use cyanide tablets to kill themselves if captured) and there are many reasons for its popularity. First of all: a huge number of substances serve as a source of cyanide - almonds, apple seeds, apricot kernel, tobacco smoke, insecticides, pesticides, etc. The murder in this case can be explained by an everyday accident, such as the accidental ingestion of a pesticide. A fatal dose of cyanide is 1.5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Secondly, cyanide kills quickly. Depending on the dose, death occurs within 15 minutes. Cyanide in the form of a gas (hydrogen cyanide) was used by Nazi Germany in gas chambers during the Holocaust.
2. Botulinum Toxin (Botulinum Toxin)
If you've read books about Sherlock Holmes, you've heard about this poison. Botulinum toxin causes botulism, a fatal disease if not treated promptly. Botulism develops muscle paralysis, eventually leading to respiratory paralysis and death. The bacteria enters the body through open wounds or contaminated food. Botulinum toxin is the same substance used for botox injections.
1. Arsenic
Arsenic is called the "King of Poisons" for its invisibility and power - its traces were previously impossible to find, so it is often used for murder and in literature. This continued until the invention of the Marsh test, with which you can find poison in water, food, etc. The "King of Poison" claimed many lives: Napoleon Bonaparte, George III and Simon Bolivar died from this poison. Like belladonna, arsenic was used in the Middle Ages in cosmetic purposes... A few drops of poison made the woman's skin white and pale.
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