Poison is always deadly or dangerous. Potently toxic substances

October 7th, 2009

If you want to be healthy, douse yourself, don’t touch this rubbish, or better yet, avoid it altogether...
The deadliest things on our planet.

Pale grebe- Destroying Angel. The first physical signs of poisoning are usually nausea, vomiting, and bloody diarrhea. After a feeling of slight discomfort, there is a sharp pain in the abdomen, severe vomiting, intense thirst, and cyanosis of the extremities, as well as yellowness of the eyes and skin as liver damage. The patient remains conscious almost until the end, with brief intervals of loss of consciousness, then coma and death.

Dog fish(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 quickly develops respiratory system accompanied by central paralysis 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 bean-Castor Beans. Signs of poisoning are bitterness in the mouth, nausea, vomiting, convulsions, drowsiness, cyanosis, stupor, impaired microcirculation, blood in the urine, ultimately coma, and death; the toxic agent, even in low concentrations, causes the dissolution of red blood cells; in serious cases, hemorrhages develop throughout the body. Castor beans can also lead to premature birth in pregnant women. Autopsies of patients who have died from castor bean poisoning show that the 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. Snake venom affects the blood and nervous system, it is less poisonous when it enters the mouth than into the blood... The victim of a viper bite bleeds from the wound, has a fever and chills. Poisoning is accompanied by swelling or hemorrhages above the elbows or knees. These signs usually appear within two hours after 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 an antidote is not administered in time.

Barbados nut or Physical nut. The threat lies in the deceptively pleasant taste of the seeds. However, make no mistake - each seed contains at least 55 percent of the 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, pain in the muscles as they atrophy and eventually die. Although the mind remains clear, vision often deteriorates until the victim succumbs to pulmonary paralysis. It is believed that Socrates was poisoned with the juice of this plant, and not hemlock, as previously thought.

Cobra Venom has mainly neurotoxic effects. Its strength is enough to cause the death of a person after the first full bite. In such cases, the mortality rate may exceed 75 percent. However, taking into account all the behavioral features king cobra Overall, only 10 percent of bites are fatal to humans.

Datura. All parts of the plant contain poisonous alkaloids. If it enters the gastrointestinal tract, it affects the nervous system, causing cardiac dysfunction and paralysis.

Lily of the valley. Contains a cardiac glycoside in a fairly high concentration, in small doses it stimulates the work of a weakened heart muscle, but in case of an overdose it leads to arrhythmias and blockade of the electrical conductivity of the heart, 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. In severe cases, the rhythm and frequency of heart contractions 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, and loss of consciousness.

Aconite has neurotoxic and cardiotoxic effects. Symptoms of poisoning are nausea, vomiting, numbness of the tongue, lips, cheeks, tips of fingers and toes, a crawling sensation, sensations of heat and cold in the extremities. Intoxication with aconite is characterized by a transient visual disturbance - the patient sees objects in green. There is also drooling, followed by dry mouth, thirst, headache, anxiety, convulsive twitching of the muscles of the face and limbs, and loss of consciousness. Breathing is rapid, shallow, and may suddenly stop.

Rhododendron. Contains glucoside substances - andromedotoxin, ericoline. Andromedotoxin has a local irritant and general narcotic effect, first stimulating and then depressing the central nervous system; greatly upsets the activity of the heart, in a peculiar way, like veratrine, it affects the muscle. Poisoning develops very quickly. Often, within a few hours of eating rhododendron leaves and branches, death occurs.

Tubocurarine chloride. White crystalline powder, in traumatology d-tubocurarine is sometimes used to relax muscles when repositioning fragments, reducing complex dislocations... Side effects from the use of tubocurarine are observed only in case of an 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 only be eaten in early spring, until the air temperature rises above 15-17° C. Early spring in rhubarb, malic acid predominates, then its content increases, and with increasing temperature in hot weather Oxalic acid accumulates in the petioles, which is harmful to the body: it forms poorly excreted salts and removes calcium contained in the blood. Consumption of oxalic acid in an amount of 3-4 g at once is dangerous not only for children, but also for adults. In case of poisoning, vomiting, convulsions, and kidney failure may occur. In the first two days, death can occur from asphyxia, shock, or cardiovascular failure. In the next 2 weeks after poisoning, severe complications such as acute renal failure, repeated collapses, profuse bleeding, hemorrhagic pneumonia, and gastric perforation may occur, which can lead to death.

Gila monster - large reptile, with a very beautiful black and orange pattern all over the body. The Latin name for this beautiful lizard- Heloderma suspectum or poison tooth. There are grooves on the upper and lower jaws, into which the channels of highly developed poisonous glands approach. When biting, the teeth go deep into the victim's body. Venom tooth bites are very painful and act almost the same as snake bites. The venom is neurotoxic, meaning that when it bites, it paralyzes its victim. For small animals, the lizard's venom is fatal; in humans it usually causes very severe swelling, but can sometimes lead to death.

Croton oil- liquid obtained from the seeds of the Croton tiglium plant. It has a strong laxative effect and irritates 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, and the onset of shock or unconsciousness occurs. Contact directly with the liquid results in severe skin redness, irritation, pain and burns. When poison gets inside, the whole body is poisoned, the central nervous system is damaged, and tumors form. In case of tactile contact, skin scarring occurs.

Digitalis. Nowadays, digitalis purpurea is used to produce medicines that stimulate work. cardiovascular system. Active biological substances from digitalis tend to accumulate in the body and can be harmful or even fatal to a person with a healthy heart. The grass and rhizomes of foxglove are saturated with the toxin digitalin. Poisoning is accompanied by irritation of the gastrointestinal tract, the pulse becomes rapid and arrhythmic, and general weakness and shortness of breath are observed. Convulsions may develop before death.

Codeine is an almost clear, 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 large quantity Tablets of some codeine-containing drugs may cause serious poisoning. Due to the fact that with regular use of codeine, an addictive phenomenon is observed (similar to addiction to heroin and other drugs of the opiate group), it is released with the same restrictions as other narcotic analgesics. In case of 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 venom, which belongs to the group of neurotoxins, is so powerful that it can kill an adult, especially if the octopus bites in 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 poisonings from dimethyl sulfate occur due to leakage of liquid or vapor. Signs of poisoning will be more pronounced if alcohol is present. Nausea, vomiting, weakness, dizziness, and headache occur. Possible increase in temperature, excitability, pain in the limbs, visual and hearing impairment, mental disorders. In severe cases, tremor, ataxia, loss of consciousness, paroxysmal clonic-tonic convulsions resembling epileptic seizures, and coma develop. A pathological examination reveals pronounced vascular disorders and degenerative changes in the parenchymal organs, brain and adrenal glands.

Nicotine. It is estimated that the lethal dose of 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 a whole pack contains exactly one lethal dose of nicotine.

Wart. A fish with a row of spines on its back that release a poisonous toxin. This is the most dangerous known poisonous fish and its venom causes extreme pain with possible shock, paralysis and tissue death depending on the depth of penetration. At the slightest irritation, the wart raises its spines dorsal fin; sharp and durable, they easily pierce the shoes of a person who accidentally steps on a fish, and penetrate deep into the foot. With deep penetration, the injection can be fatal to a person if he is not given medical care within a few hours. If the thorn gets into a large blood vessel, death can occur within 2-3 hours. Survivors sometimes remain ill for months. The venom consists of a mixture of proteins, including hemolytic stonustoxin, neurotoxin and cardioactive cardioleptin. Typically, surviving victims suffer localized nerve damage, sometimes leading to atrophy of the attached muscle tissue. The pain can be so severe that injection victims want to cut off the injured limb.

Hydrogen sulfide- a colorless, poisonous gas heavier than air with an unpleasant odor of rotten eggs. It can be released during the process of decay and accumulates in lowlands. Very toxic. At high concentrations, a single inhalation can cause instant death. At low concentrations, adaptation to unpleasant smell“rotten eggs”, and it ceases to be felt. A sweetish metallic taste appears in the mouth. The first symptom of acute poisoning is loss of smell. Subsequently, headache, dizziness and nausea appear. Sometimes, after a while, sudden fainting occurs.

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 (even to the point of 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 cause dissociated anesthesia. Phencyclidine is easy to synthesize. People who use phencyclidine are primarily young people and polydrug addicts. The true prevalence of phencyclidine drug addiction is unknown, but national data suggests that cases in the United States are lately have become more frequent. PCP is either taken orally, smoked, or administered intravenously. It is also used as an additive to illegally sold delta-tetrahydrocannabinol, LSD and cocaine. The most common homemade drug of PCP is called "angel dust." Low doses of phencyclidine (5 mg) cause restlessness, agitation, incoordination, dysarthria, and anesthesia. Horizontal and vertical nystagmus, hot flashes, profuse sweat, and hyperacusis are also possible. Mental disorders include disruption of body schema, 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 decerebrate rigidity, which can be followed by prolonged coma. Acute psychosis caused by phencyclidine should be considered a psychiatric emergency with high risk suicide or violent crimes.

Parathion(Parathion) - organophosphorus compound - pesticide; when it is inhaled, enters the gastrointestinal tract, or is absorbed through the skin, poisoning occurs. Like some other organophosphate compounds, parathion interferes with the enzyme cholinesterase, resulting in excessive stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system. Symptoms of poisoning include headaches, profuse sweating and salivation, lacrimation, vomiting, diarrhea and muscle spasms.

TEPP cholinesterase inhibitor-used mainly as insecticides and can cause poisoning. Symptoms include headache, loss of depth perception, convulsions, sweating, chest pain, shortness of breath, vomiting, general paralysis, involuntary urination and defecation, drop in blood pressure, death.

Yew tree. All parts of the plant are poisonous, except the red fruits. The wood, bark and leaves of yew contain the alkaloid taxin and are therefore poisonous to humans and many other animals, although, for example, hares and deer eat yew willingly and without harm to themselves. The older the yew needles, the more poisonous they are.

Carbon Tetrachloride(Carbon Tetrachloride) is a caustic volatile liquid used as a dry cleaner. When its vapors are inhaled or swallowed, it causes severe damage to the heart, liver and kidneys (for example, the patient may develop cirrhosis of the liver or kidney nephrosis), affects the optic nerve and some other nerves in the human body.

Strychnine- an alkaloid found in seeds tropical plants genus strychnos. It has a stimulating effect on the central nervous system, and in toxic doses 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, during canning). For humans, botulinum toxin is the most potent bacterial poison, having a detrimental effect at a dose of 10-8 mg/kg. C. botulinum spores can withstand boiling for 6 hours, sterilization at high blood pressure destroys them after 20 minutes, 10% hydrochloric acid after 1 hour, 50% formaldehyde after 24 hours. Botulinum toxin type A(B) is completely destroyed when boiled 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 damage to nerve centers predominate: impaired accommodation, double vision, difficulty swallowing, aphonia. In severe forms of botulism, death occurs from respiratory paralysis, sometimes from sudden cardiac arrest.

Potassium cyanide - potassium salt hydrocyanic acid, chemical formula KCN. Strong inorganic poison. When hit through digestive tract lethal dose for humans is 1.7 mg/kg. Sometimes large doses are tolerated; the effect may be slowed down when the stomach is filled with food. Potassium cyanide is a powerful inhibitor. When it enters the body, it blocks the cellular enzyme cytochrome c oxidase, as a result of which cells lose the ability to absorb oxygen from the blood and the body dies from interstitial hypoxia.

Foods and drinks that are very familiar to us can turn out to be deadly. And the simplest objects contain poison. It turns out that the most powerful poisons are sometimes close to us, and we don’t even suspect it.

Dangerous poisons

- Methanol, or methyl alcohol, is a very dangerous poison. This is explained by the fact that it is easy to confuse it with ordinary wine alcohol, since they are indistinguishable in taste and smell. Fake alcoholic drinks sometimes made on the basis methyl alcohol, but without an examination it is impossible to determine the presence of methanol. Unfortunately, the consequences of consuming such drinks are irreversible; at best, a person becomes blind.

Mercury. Everyone at home has the most common item - mercury thermometer. It turns out that if you spill mercury from two or three thermometers in a medium-sized room, this will be enough to cause serious poisoning. True, elemental mercury itself is not dangerous, its vapors are dangerous, and it begins to evaporate already at room temperature. In addition to thermometers, the same type of mercury is found in fluorescent lamps. So be careful with them.

Snake venom. There are more than two and a half thousand species of reptiles, but only about 250 species are poisonous. The most famous are common vipers, cobras, rattlesnakes, black mambas, and small snakes - sand ephs.

People have long found out that snake venom is dangerous only when it enters the human bloodstream. And, since humanity has been dealing with snakes for many millennia, it is not surprising that it was while studying the effects of snake venom on the bodies of animals and people that the first antidote was created in 1895 - anti-snake serum. By the way, there is no universal antidote even in case of poisoning snake venom, for each type of snake, its own antitoxin is created - for the king cobra - one, for vipers - another, for rattlesnakes - a third.

The fastest poison

There are many poisons, but potassium cyanide is still considered one of the fastest-acting. It has been used since ancient times, it is probably the most famous "spy" poison: many agents in films and books use cyanide in ampoules or tablets. And everyone probably read about such a sign as the smell of “bitter almonds” in Agatha Christie’s wonderful detective stories.

You can be poisoned by cyanide not only by ingestion, but also by inhalation or touching. Potassium cyanide is found in some plants and foods, as well as cigarettes. It is used in the extraction of gold from ore. Cyanide kills by binding iron in blood cells, thereby preventing them from delivering oxygen to vital organs.

Cyanide can be determined using a solution of ferric salts

By the way, they tried to poison Grigory Rasputin with potassium cyanide, but they couldn’t, because they added the poison to a sweet pie. Glucose is an antidote to potassium cyanide.

The most accessible poisons

In summer and autumn, the time comes for seasonal mushroom poisoning - by the way, these are the most accessible poisonous substances today. The most famous poisonous mushrooms are false honey mushrooms, pale grebe, lines and fly agarics. The most commonly poisoned is the toadstool, since it has many varieties, sometimes indistinguishable from edible mushrooms, and one such mushroom can lead to the death of several people.

Although the Germans have learned to prepare fly agarics in such a way that they are not poisoned by them, it is true that it takes them a lot of time to prepare these mushrooms - they boil them for days. True, the question arises - why do they need fly agaric mushrooms when you can simply take other mushrooms for food? And of course, we must remember the rules for storing cooked mushrooms; even edible mushrooms can become poisonous if the shelf life is violated.

Regular potatoes or bread can also be poisonous. When stored improperly, potatoes accumulate the substance solanine, which causes poisoning to the body. And bread becomes poisonous if flour was used to make it and contained cereals contaminated with ergot. We are not talking about poisoning with fatal, but it is quite possible to ruin your health with such products.

In addition, there are many household chemicals and fertilizers, which can also cause poisoning. For example, potassium chloride is the most common fertilizer, but if it gets into the blood it becomes deadly, since potassium ions block the activity of the heart.

The most famous poison

IN South America the most famous poison is curare, a poison of plant origin; there are several subtypes of this poison. It causes paralysis of the respiratory system. Initially it was used for hunting animals, but in the 20th century it was successfully used in medicine.

There is also strychnine powder white, which is sometimes used in some drugs (such as heroin and cocaine). Although it is much more often used in the manufacture of pesticides. To obtain this powder, the seeds of the chilibuhi tree, which is native to Southeast Asia and India, are taken.

But the most famous poison is, of course, arsenic; it can be called the “royal poison”. It has been used since ancient times (its use is also attributed to Caligula) to eliminate their enemies and competitors in the struggle for the throne, no matter the papal or royal one. It was the favorite poison of European nobility in the Middle Ages.

The most famous poisoners

The story of the Italian Borgia dynasty of poisoners, who elevated poisoning almost to the level of art, is unique. Everyone without exception was afraid of their invitation to the feast. The most famous representatives of this family for their treachery are Pope Alexander VI Borgia and his children: son Cesare, who became a cardinal, and daughter Lucrezia. This family had their own poison, "cantarella", supposedly containing arsenic, phosphorus and copper salts. It is known that the head of the family himself ultimately paid with his life for his treachery, having mistakenly drunk a cup of poison that he had prepared for another.

In France, arsenic was used by women, the most famous of them was Catherine de Medici, who became Queen of France. There were also poisoners of lower rank - favorites of kings, marquises, baronesses and wives of jewelers. It is believed that Napoleon was poisoned with arsenic.

The most powerful poison in the world

And now scientists will not answer the question of what poison is the most powerful in the world. Some of the most powerful poisons are botulism and tetanus toxins.

From natural poisons Batrachotoxin is very dangerous; it is secreted by the skin of small but dangerous amphibians - dart frogs, fortunately, they can only be found in Colombia. One such frog contains so much toxic substance that it is enough to destroy several elephants.

In addition, there are radioactive poisons, such as polonium. It acts slowly, but only 1 gram of this substance is needed to destroy one and a half million people. Snake venom, curare, potassium cyanide - they are all inferior to the above poisons.

It's not just snakes that are poisonous. As the editors of the site found out, the most poisonous creature on Earth is the jellyfish.
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Not only potential attackers, but also ordinary Internet users ask about how to poison a person with poison. Today the pharmaceutical market offers consumers a variety of medicines, some products are available for purchase without a doctor's prescription.

There are also toxic substances that allow you to quickly eliminate your opponent or, conversely, provoke chronic disease. Age-old knowledge and modern technologies become dangerous weapon in the hands of competent people.

Potassium cyanide is known to almost everyone; at the beginning of the 20th century, the dangerous powder was a common way to get rid of unwanted persons.

The poison belongs to the group of hydrocyanic acid derivatives and is highly soluble in water. Some sources indicate a specific smell of this substance, however, not all people are able to smell it. Potassium cyanide causes poisoning if ingested, and it is also dangerous to inhale powder particles and solution vapors. Lethal dose The poison is only a few grams, but in most cases it depends on the weight and individual characteristics of the organism.

Potassium cyanide can quickly poison a person. Death is affected by the route of entry of the substance into the body, so when particles are inhaled, the effect of the toxin manifests itself instantly, and when it enters the stomach, the poison begins to cause irreversible consequences after 15 minutes.

The victim goes through several stages of intoxication. At first, a sore throat is felt, then nausea and vomiting begins, and possible numbness of the throat. Over time, general weakness increases, a feeling of fear arises, and the pulse slows down. Subsequently, signs such as convulsions and loss of consciousness are noted. As a rule, if a sufficient dose of poison is ingested, a person dies within 4 hours.

With the arrival of new drugs on the pharmaceutical market, people are interested in how to poison a person with pills. The list of dangerous poisons if used incorrectly includes the following medications:

sleeping pill "Phenazepam";
hellebore water;
Corvalol drops.

The medicine "Phenazepam" is prescribed by doctors as a remedy against insomnia, panic attacks and stress. It refers to psychotropic medications, and offenders use this drug to poison a person in their sleep.

Like many other drugs, Phenazepam is incompatible with alcohol - this is what criminals take advantage of, since the combined use of these tablets and alcohol leads to respiratory arrest and death. But it is not easy to get the described drug, since it is sold only with a doctor’s prescription.

Hellebore water is freely sold in pharmacies and is used not only in traditional medicine, but also as a remedy against alcohol addiction. However, some cases of intentional intoxication are not taken into account, which is why this medicine is suitable for those who want to poison a person without identifying the poison.

Lethal outcome occurs when ingested for 2 years. raw materials, hellebore water negatively affects heart function and blood pressure. Thus, the oxygen supply to the brain gradually decreases.

As a rule, alcohol accelerates the absorption of poison and signs of intoxication with hellebore water develop within 20 minutes after taking the product. Vomiting begins, and symptoms such as extreme thirst, slow heart rate, and mental disturbances are also noted. Death occurs on average after 8 hours; this medicine allows criminals to poison a person without determining the exact cause of death.

Corvalol drops can be purchased at any pharmacy, which makes them an affordable and effective medicine for poisoning. The lethal dose of the drug depends on the weight and age of the person, on average it is 150 drops.

Intoxication is characterized by prolonged sleep, decreased blood pressure and dilated pupils. The combined use of this drug with alcohol is especially dangerous; in this case, tachycardia appears and the skin turns blue. Poisoning a person slowly using Corvalol drops will most likely not work; death occurs within 24 hours, which is taken advantage of by various asocial elements of society.

All of us, one way or another, have encountered such a phenomenon as poisons.

Some enthusiastically read about them in books, some were briefly told about them in school lessons, and some worked directly with them.

Poisons are divided into natural and artificially created, and are present in human history from time immemorial. People, such ruthless and sophisticated creatures, not only learned to extract poison from natural materials, but also decided to go further - they created methods of killing with their own hands. And, I must admit, they did it well.

The heyday of poisons occurred in the dark and mysterious Middle Ages - a time when animal fear, cruelty and unquestioning obedience to religion dominated society. And, as it turned out, the endless games of the nobility with death, in the struggle for the throne, became the final touch in the dark trail of the Middle Ages.
However, even today poisons have not lost their relevance and continue to interest many people. It’s a pity, of course, that it’s not only for scientific purposes.

But, if you found this article out of pure curiosity, why not?
Check out the top 10 most dangerous poisons in the world.

Everyone knows the dangerous effects of mercury on the human body. That is why we were so often told to be careful with thermometers and immediately take appropriate measures if it turned out to be broken.

Theoretically, there are three forms of mercury that are deadly to humans: elemental, organic and inorganic mercury. We often encounter elemental mercury in everyday life- these are the same banal old thermometers or fluorescent lamps. This type of mercury is safe to touch, but can be fatal if inhaled.

Symptoms of mercury poisoning are almost the same in all species, and can range from nausea and seizures to blindness and even memory loss.

If we look at history, arsenic was at one time the most popular poison and a favorite among murderers. It was even called “royal poison.”

The use of arsenic began in ancient times (the use of this poison was even attributed to Caligula), mainly in order to eliminate enemies and competitors in the endless struggle for the throne - no matter whether royal or papal. Arsenic was the poison of choice for all European nobility during the Middle Ages.

His popularity was based various factors– both power and availability. For example, in Great Britain, arsenic was sold in pharmacies as a rodent poison.

However, while in Europe arsenic brought only death and suffering, traditional Chinese medicine used it to treat diseases such as syphilis and psoriasis for two thousand years. Nowadays, scientists have experimentally proven that leukemia can be treated with arsenic. And it was Chinese doctors who discovered that such a strong poison was able to successfully block proteins responsible for the growth and reproduction of cancer cells.

Quite a sensational poison in its time.

Anthrax is a frequent guest in medicines mass media due to a large batch of letters infected by it and sent innocent victims in the USA. As a result of this attack, 10 people died and another 17 were seriously infected.

In this regard, a huge general paranoia broke out in the country, affecting millions. And, I must admit, it’s not in vain. After all, anthrax is caused by bacteria, and one breath is enough for complete infection. Such a strong poison is spread by spores that are released into the air.

After infection, the victim feels only a chill, which gradually turns into impaired breathing, and then to a stop. The mortality rate from this disease reaches as much as 90% in the first week from the moment of infection.

This famous toxin has become literally synonymous with poison.

Potassium cyanide can be in the form of a colorless gas with the smell of bitter almonds (does everyone remember Agatha Christie's novels?), or crystals. Cyanide is present almost everywhere: this poison is capable of naturally form in some foods and plants.

Also, cyanide is present in cigarettes. It is used in the manufacture of plastics, printing photographs, and, of course, potassium cyanide is a must in the composition of insect baiting agents.

Cyanide poisoning can occur through inhalation, ingestion, or even simple touching. The slightest dose is enough for the poison, once in the body, to paralyze the blood flow and block the access of oxygen. Death occurs almost instantly.

Potassium cyanide was actively used during World War I, and was banned along with everything chemical weapons later, in accordance with the Geneva Convention.

Sarin is one of the most powerful nerve gases, which is considered a weapon mass destruction. Death from this poison is always incredibly painful and brings terrible agony to the victim. Causing complete suffocation, Sarin kills a person in just a minute, which, however, seems like an eternity to the victim.

Despite the fact that the production of Sarin has been prohibited by law since 1993, since then quite a few cases of its use have been recorded. For example, in terrorist attacks or chemical warfare. Stands out especially strongly against this background chemical attack one thousand nine hundred and ninety-five in the Tokyo subway and riots in Syria and Iraq.

Strychnine was originally extracted from trees that grew in Southeast Asia and India.

Pure strychnine is a white powder, bitter in taste and lethal if it enters the body by any means, whether by injection or inhalation.

Despite the fact that the original purpose of strychnine was to use it as a pesticide, it has been added to drugs such as cocaine and heroin on many occasions.

When poisoned with strychnine, many symptoms may appear within thirty minutes, such as: muscle spasms, respiratory failure, nausea, vomiting, and it is not uncommon that the entire process of spreading the poison throughout the body ends in brain death. And all this in just half an hour!

The mushroom, which contains such a powerful poison, looks, unfortunately, no more dangerous than its edible counterparts. However, just thirty grams of the deadly mushroom can send a person to the “other world.”

Amatoxin has an incredibly destructive effect on the human body. This poison can cause serious damage to the kidneys and liver and cause death of organ cells in just a couple of days. Also, it often causes multiple organ failure and even coma.

Amatoxin is so strong poison, which can seriously harm the heart. In this case, the victim will face certain death, without the immediate administration of an antidote, which, by the way, is a large dose of penicillin. Without an antidote, victims of amatoxin have a 100% chance of falling into a coma and dying from liver or heart failure within a few days.

"Supplier" of this known poison are Puffer fish, which at first glance may not seem like much to you dangerous predators. However, their skin, intestines, liver and other organs contain one of the most dangerous and deadly poisons known to mankind.

If improperly prepared, Fugu fish can cause convulsions, paralysis, various mental disorders and many other health problems in those who dare to try it. Despite this danger, because tetrodotoxin is deadly poison, people in many countries continue to order this fish, sometimes even paying an insurance premium in advance.

And although the delicacy is Japanese, and it would seem that it is in Japan that everyone should know how to properly prepare such a “risky” dish, it is in this country that it is registered greatest number victims per year. About three hundred people are poisoned by tetrodotoxin every year, and more than half of them die.

Being a derivative of the castor bean - a perennial, very poisonous plant, ricin is also considered a natural poison. Therefore, people risk being exposed to it in several ways: through food, air or water. And, depending on this route, the symptoms of ricin poisoning may vary.

However, the principle of damage to the body remains unchanged. Ricin poisons the body, blocking the ability of cells to synthesize proteins necessary for life. As a result, such “blocked” cells die, and this, in turn, often leads to failure of the entire organ that was subjected to the poisonous attack of ricin.

And the fact that ricin has the most powerful lethal effect when inhaled served as a signal for many people who began sending poison by mail, in envelopes, as they once did with anthrax. After all, just one pinch of ricin can kill a person.

If we take all these facts into account, it becomes clear why the decision was made to study ricin as a tool for chemical warfare.

In this article we have listed many poisons that have simply incredible power and can kill in record time. short terms. However, many experts in the field of toxicology unanimously agree that botulinum toxin can be called the deadliest poison in the world. By the way, this is what is used in Botox injections to smooth out wrinkles.

This poison leads to botulism, a disease that causes respiratory failure, neurological disorders and other more severe damage.

To status the most dangerous poison on Earth, botulinum toxin resulted from several factors. Its volatile and easily accessible nature, its powerful effects on the body and its frequent use in medicine. For example, just one test tube full of this toxin could potentially kill about a hundred people.

The scope of application of botulinum toxin is multifaceted - starting from the well-known Botox and ending as a method of treating migraines. Therefore, it is not uncommon even deaths among patients as a result of procedures that included Botox injections.

Let's start with the “king” of poisons – Arsenic. Until 1832, arsenic poisoning was extremely difficult to diagnose, since the symptoms of poisoning with this poison were similar to those of cholera. This similarity made it possible to mask the use of arsenic and its compounds as a deadly poison.

In acute arsenic poisoning, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and depression of the central nervous system are observed.

Antidote: aqueous solution of sodium thiosulfate, dimercaprol.

Cyanide

Potassium cyanide, or potassium cyanide, is the most powerful inorganic poison. It looks like granulated sugar.

When it enters the body, the cells stop absorbing oxygen, resulting in the body dying from interstitial hypoxia. Potassium cyanide is absorbed very quickly and therefore death occurs within 15 minutes.

Sarin gas

Sarin gas is a poisonous substance with a nerve-paralytic effect.

The first signs of exposure to sarin include nasal discharge, chest congestion, and constriction of the pupils. Soon after this, the victim has difficulty breathing, nausea and increased salivation. The victim then completely loses control over bodily functions. This phase is accompanied by convulsions. Ultimately, the victim falls into a comatose state and suffocates in a fit of convulsive spasms followed by cardiac arrest.

Antidote: Atropine, Pralidoxime, Diazepam, Athens.

Diamphotoxin

Diamphotoxin is the most powerful poison of animal origin on our planet, contained in the blood of the larvae of the South African leaf beetle.

It is capable of reducing the hemoglobin content in the blood by 75% in a short period of time due to the massive destruction of red blood cells.

Antidote: There is no specific antidote.

Ricin

Ricin is the most powerful poison of plant origin, which is obtained from castor beans of the castor bean plant.

A few grains are enough to kill an adult. Ricin kills cells in the human body, preventing it from producing the proteins it needs, resulting in organ failure. A person can become poisoned by ricin through inhalation or ingestion.

If inhaled, symptoms of poisoning usually appear within 8 hours of exposure and include difficulty breathing, fever, cough, nausea, sweating and chest tightness.

If ingested, symptoms appear in less than 6 hours and include nausea, low blood pressure, hallucinations and seizures. Death can occur within 36-72 hours.