Toxicology – information about Poisons. Symptoms, protection, treatment.

Melamine is an organic base chemical typically has the form of white crystals rich in nitrogen. It is often combined with formaldehyde to produce melamine resin- an extremely durable, fire and heat resisting material.

Melamine is generally used for floor tiles, kitchenware, fire retardant fabrics, plastics, adhesives, countertops, dishware, whiteboards and commercial filters. Melamine can be easily molded while warm, but gets a fixed form. This characteristic makes this material ideally suited to industrial applications.

A wide range of flame resistant materials such as textiles used in upholstery and firemen uniforms are made from melamine. It is also used it manufacturing thermal liners, heat resistant gloves, and aprons to protect from hot substances and heat. Melamine clothing protects a wearer from heat hazards. It resists the spread of fire in the buses, trains, aircraft and other transport.

Melamine is toxic, it can be harmful for health if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Prolonged exposure may cause cancer or reproductive damage. The most negative health effect of melamine consumptions in humans is kidney stones, which are caused by the melamine capacity to form crystals.

The symptoms and signs of melamine poisoning are:

v Irritability;

v Blood in urine;

v Little amount or no urine;

v Signs of kidney infection;

v High blood pressure.

Melamine poisoning also occurs when melamine is added to food. Melamine has been involved in several food scandals, concerning discoveries of severe kidney damages in infants poisoned by melamine-adulterated food. In China, where adulteration has happened, the manufacturers added water to raw milk to increase its volume. As a result the milk has a lower protein concentration, to improve the level of protein, the melamine was added. Companies, producing powdered infant products, control the protein level by testing nitrogen content. Melamine component enlarges the nitrogen content and apparent protein content of the milk.

Melamine scandal did not have an end in infant foods, the toxic component was also found in wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate exported from China and used in the pet food in the United States.

A variety of different brands of powdered infant formula, a frozen yogurt and canned coffee drink were proved to contain melamine. All these products were produced with melamine-contaminated milk in China.

The Government of China has ended the practice of adulteration of food with melamine in 2008. Court trials, involving six people linked to the scandal, ended with four convicts being prisons and two being sentenced to death and executed.

Sarin is a chemical warfare agent classified as a nerve agent with the formula [(CH₃)₂CHO]CH₃P(O)F. Sarin is one of  the most toxic and rapidly acting of the known chemical warfare agents. Originally it came from Germany where it was first produced in 1938 as a pesticide.

Sarin is a clear, colorless, and tasteless liquid that has no odor; it can change from liquid into a vapor (gas) and spread into the environment. United Nations classified Sarin as a chemical weapon of mass destruction, naturally not found in the environment.

Sarin or other name GB was used by terrorists in attacks in Japan in 1994 and 1995.

People can contact with Sarin gas in the air through skin or eye. People can also breathe the air that contains poison; Sarin can also be used to poison water.

Sarin breaks down slowly in the body that is why people who are repeatedly exposed to sarin suffer from harmful gas effects.

When a person is exposed to Sarin following symptoms may appear within a few seconds:

• Runny nose;
• Watery eye and small, pinpoint pupils, eye pain, blurred vision;
• Cough andrapid breathing
• Chest tightness;
• Diarrhea and increased urination;
• Headache;
• Nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain;
• Slow or fast heart rate;
• Low or high blood pressure.

The poisoning effects depend on the amount of gas to which a person was exposed and the time of exposure. Large doses of sarin may result in the following harmful health conditions:

• Loss of consciousness;
• Loss of vision;
• Convulsions;
• Paralysis;
• Respiratory failure possibly leading to death.

When exposed to Sarin, people should immediately get medical help; treatment with the antidotes is effective when used quickly.  Getting to fresh air is also effective in lessening the possibility of death from exposure to sarin vapor.

People, exposed to Sarin vapor should take off their clothing, wash their body with soap and water, and get medical care as quickly as possible.

Treatment of the health conditions caused by Sarin is removing Sarin from the body as soon as possible and providing medical care in a hospital.

The Strychnine tree (Strychnos nux-vomica) the other names: Nux vomica, Poison Nut, Semen strychnos and Quaker Buttonswith, is a medium-size tree from India, growing in open areas.

The Strychnine fruit contains highly poisonous alkaloids strychnine and brucine. The seeds and the tree’s bark contain strychnine and other poisonous compounds. Strychnine is a deadly poison with a lethal dose to humans of about 30 to 120 mg, used in medicine before World War II.  The seeds were taken from the fruit when ripe, cleaned and dried and then used.

The alkaloids strychnine and brucine are poisonous and can cause death in case of prolonged usage and overdose. Strychnine in small doses is used as a gastric tonic in dyspepsia. The symptoms caused by strychnine, taken in large doses are violent convulsions and great rise in blood pressure. An antidote is 1/10 grain of hypodermic injection. Brucine is not so poisonous as strychnine and resembles it in its action.

Modern medicine does not use it, though herbal and alternative medicine consider the usage of strychnine possible for curing liver cancer, upset stomach, vomiting, abdominal pain, constipation, intestinal irritation, hangovers, heartburn, insomnia, certain heart diseases, circulatory problems, eye diseases, depression, migraine headaches, nervous conditions, problems related to menopause, and respiratory diseases in the elderly. It is largely used in traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of cancer and abscesses; it is also used in combination with other herbs.

Streptococcus pneumonia is a gram positive aerotolerant, anaerobic member of the genus Streptococcus,a normal inhabitant of the human upper respiratory tract.

Streptococcus pneumonia is a human  pathogenic bacterium, discovered by Leo Escolar in 1881.

The bacterium causes many types of pneumococcal infections such as: pneumonia, acute sinusitis, meningitis, sepsis, septic arthritis, brain abscess and peritonitis.

Streptococcus pneumonia is the very common cause of bacterial meningitis and otitis media in adults and children; it is more common in little babies and very old people because of immunity conditions.

Pneumonia is a disease of the lung that is caused by such bacteria as: Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Haemophilus, Chlamydia and Mycoplasma. The disease may exist in two forms: bronchial pneumonia and lobar pneumonia. Bronchial pneumonia is caused by various bacteria. Lobar pneumonia is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Symptoms of streptococcus pneumonia include a fever, chills, headaches, chest pain, shortness of breath, disorientation and a stiff neck.

Streptococcus pneumonia is sensitive to optochin, sometimes optochin resistance can occur.

LD is an abbreviation for lethal dose, 50%” and LC50 is lethal concentration, 50%). LD50 is the amount of a material, which results in death of 50% of a group of test animals. LC50 is the concentration of a chemical in air or in water.

The LD50 is a way to measure the poisoning potential (real toxicity) of a substance in a special test. The test was created by J.W. Trevan in 1927, with scientist’s attempt to find a way to evaluate the relative drugs and medicines poisoning potency.

Toxicologists use many kinds of animals but mostly rats and mice. The amount of chemical is given through the skin or orally in milligrams per 100 grams for small animals and in kilogram for bigger animals. In LD50 tests a pure form of the chemical are commonly used. Differences in the LD₅₀ toxicity ratings reflect the different routes of exposure. The toxicity rating can be different for different animals.

LC50 value is tested in inhalation experiments, the concentration of the chemical in air that kills 50% of the test animals in a given time (usually four hours).

LD50 and LC50 test are very important because chemicals can have a wide range of effects on our health. There are many kinds of toxicity tests; different chemicals cause different toxic effects and to compare their toxicity with each other is not simple. LD50 and LC50 test measure how much of a chemical is required to cause death, the tests also show an effect that occurs or does not occur.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is Gamma Proteobacteria class of bacteria, aerobic rod belonging to the bacterial family Pseudomonadaceae; it that can cause disease in animals and humans.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a free-living bacterium, found in soil and water, on the surfaces of plants. It infects damaged tissues of plants and people with reduced immunity. The symptoms of infection are inflammation and sepsis. If such organs as: lungs, kidneys and urinary tract, respiratory system, dermatitis, soft tissue are infected and not properly treated the result can be lethal.

Especially dangerous it can be with patients suffering from severe burns, cystic fibrosis, cancer and AIDS patients who have immune deficiency. The death rate for these patients is near 50 percent.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes hospital-acquired infections, because the bacterium is found on all the surfaces: on medical equipment.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is tolerant to different physical conditions. It is resistant to high concentrations of salt, some antiseptics, and many traditional antibiotics. Most favorable temperature for pseudomonas aeruginosa growth is 37 – 42 degrees.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is commonly resistant to a great variety of antibiotics; the choice of antibiotics should be made according to laboratory sensitivities. The antibiotics list that have activity against bacterium include:

1.     Aminoglycosides

2.     Cephalosporins

3.     Carbapenems

4.     Polymyxins

5.     Monobactams

Corynebacterium diphtheriae is a pathogenic bacterium that causes toxin-mediated disease. Corynebacterium diphtheriae was discovered in 1884 by Edwim Klebs and Friedrich Loffler and the other name for it is – Klebs-Löffler bacillus.

Corynebacterium diphtheriae produces a protein exotoxin, diphtheria toxin. The diphtheria a fatal infectious disease is under control in many developed countries. It is effectively beaten by an immunization program. Nevertheless, the disease often happens in developing countries, but can be treated with the majority of antibiotics: the penicillins, cephalosporins, tetracyclines, ampicillin and others.

The incubation period of diphtheria lasts from 1 to 10 days. There are several types of disease: anterior nasal diphtheria, diphtheria of the pharynx and the tonsils, laryngeal diphtheria, the conjunctiva and vulvo-vaginal diphtheria.

The most frequent complications of diphtheria are myocarditis (abnormal cardiac rhythms) and neuritis (eye muscles, limbs, and diaphragm paralysis) other complications can be respiratory insufficiency and even death. The fatality percent for diphtheria is 5%–10%, for persons from 5 to 40 it grows up to 20%.

Treatment is with antibiotics orally or by injection for 14 days. The contagion of diphtheria stops usually after 48 hours antibiotic treatment.

To prevent the disease the person should be immunized, in case of close household contacts, antibiotics should be given.

Arsenic is the chemical element (As), a very poisonous metallic substance, a natural element found in soil and minerals. Arsenic is released both from certain human activities and naturally from the Earth’s crust.The color of it is tin-white which quickly tarnishes to dark gray or black.

Humans may contact arsenic mainly through food and water, particularly in certain areas where the water is in natural contact with arsenic-containing minerals. Food is usually the largest source except in areas where drinking water is naturally contaminated with arsenic. You may be exposed to arsenic by living in an area with high levels of arsenic in rock. In areas with natural geological contamination, (Bangladesh), drinking water from wells can contain high levels of inorganic arsenic. Contact with arsenic in the workplace can be quite high; usually the amounts present in the air in the workplace are controlled in many countries. Contact with contaminated air at the workplace can cause lung cancer, if not properly controlled.

Arsenic and many of its compounds are especially potent poisons. Arsenic can exist in inorganic or organic form, the first one is generally considered more toxic.

Living organisms react in a variety of ways to the contact with arsenic. It can lead to death, poor growth and failure to reproduce.

For humans, if a large amount of inorganic arsenic is swallowed it can affect the gut, the heart and the nervous system, causing rapid poisoning and death. Contact with arsenic can cause many health problems. Being exposed to a low dose of this element for a long time can change the color of the skin. It can cause corns and small warts. Such dose can harm the skin increase risk of cancer in the skin, lungs, and kidney. Exposure to high dose of arsenic can cause death.

It is historically the poison chosen for many murders, in reality and in fiction. Arsenic has many chemical uses and is quite an important element. The main use of metallic arsenic is for alloying with copper and especially lead. It is largely used in agriculture and medicine. Also used in bronzing and pyrotechnics, mineral processing, pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy.

Clostridium botulinum is a gram positive bacterium, a microscopic organism that can cause serious disease – muscular paralyses; producing neurotoxins (botulinum neurotoxins types A-G) it forms anaerobic spores and endospores. This bacterium exists commonly in nature (in soil).

Clostridium botulinum bacteria (exactly botulinum toxin, a nerve poison) causes a rare but serious disease  botulism or infantile botulism(in children) . The toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum is a nerve poison that can cause paralysis.

Botulism poisoning can happen as a result of wrongly preserved home canned low-acid food that underwent incorrect preservation.

Home prepared food such as –cans of corn, green beans, mushrooms,  baked potatoes, carrot juice that was wrongly stored are most likely to represent a risk for botulism.

The beginning of symptoms is from 12-36 hours after taking it inside the toxin, if the poisoning is not treated in time the disease can end fatal.

Usual symptoms are nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, headache, double vision, dryness in the throat and nose to respiratory failure, paralysis and in some cases, death.

Botulinum bacterium is one of the components in such medicaments as Botox, Xeomin, Dysport and Neurobloc. In medicine they are used as muscle paralyzers to lessen muscle function. The main usage of these medicaments is in cosmetology.

Viscum album is a species of mistletoe, or European Mistletoe or Common Mistletoe. Mistletoe grows as a parasite on various trees; the parasitic habit is acquired and has been passed on genetically. Synonyms are Bird Lime, Birdlime Mistletoe, Mystyldene, and Lignum Crucis. Mistletoe has an odd appearance: the flowers are yellowish-green or it can be called a yellowish ball hanging high up in the tree, visible after the host tree has lost all its leaves. This parasite is evergreen and its oval leaves always grow in opposite pairs. The white berries are not ripe until late in the year. Birds are responsible for their seed distribution. Viscum album was believed to ward off all evil, bad spirits and witchcraft, and was worn as a protective amulet. It was also considered to be the key to life’s mysteries, fertility, abundance, blessings, peace, harmony, balance of opposites, transformation. In previous times amulets made from mistletoe wood were assumed effective in warding off attacks epilepsy.

Viscum album contains the toxic protein Viscumin. The berries of mistletoe are poisonous. They should not be used internally. This is not an herb for home experimentation. Leaves and stems are used in medicine and in herbal practice. Viscum album possesses anti-tumor, cardio active, nerving tonic effects. It is used in treating stress, nervous conditions, heart problems, epilepsy; the dose should be prescribed only by doctor or herbal practitioner. Mistletoe is also known to regulate digestive functions, curing chronic constipation and also it increases metabolic activity; may be recommended as a blood cleanser.Mistletoe is an ingredient of pomace brandy, based biska liquor.