List of dangerous poisons for human life. Deadly poisons for humans

Poison of any origin, chemical, food or natural, has always been a subject of interest from the media mass media, chemical safety and popular writers. Humanity knows hundreds of deadly poisons, many of which have been practically used as a means of murder, genocide and acts of terrorism. Some of them are presented in our review.

The well known cyanide is a deadly poison that acts on the central nervous system and on the heart. Even a small dose, entering the blood, binds iron molecules and blocks the supply of oxygen to vital organs, resulting in death in a matter of minutes. There are different shapes cyanide, such as hydrogen cyanide, which is considered the most poisonous. This gas kills a person in about 10 minutes. The gas was used during World War I as a chemical weapon and was banned by the Geneva Convention. Today, cyanide is used as a means of murder, suicide and in the plots of books.

This main character events of September 2011, when reports of people receiving anthrax spores in envelopes appeared in the news almost every day. As a result, five people died and 17 were injured from exposure to the poison, which caused panic among US citizens. This fear is understandable, since anthrax spores are easily transmitted through the air. After infection, the respiratory system becomes numb and the person begins to choke. Out of 10 people, 9 die within a week of infection.

Sarin is considered a mass murder agent that causes death by asphyxia within 60 seconds. Minute terrible torment and the person dies. Since 1993, the production of this substance has been prohibited, but despite this, in 1995 a massive massacre was committed in Japan. terrorist attack in the metro, as well as in Iraq and Syria, resulting in between 330 and 1,800 deaths.

Amatoxin is a substance found in the world's deadliest mushrooms. When it enters the bloodstream, it affects the cells of the kidneys and liver, resulting in organ failure within a few days. Amatoxin also affects the heart. If a large dose of penicillin is not administered, the person may fall into a coma or die from heart and liver failure.

Strychnine has been used as a pesticide to kill pests, but it can also kill humans. It was discovered in Asia, contained in special varieties of trees, but it can also be obtained in the laboratory (the one who managed to do this received Nobel Prize). Strychnine can enter the body in different ways: injection, inhalation and absorption. After entering the body, muscle convulsions and spasms begin, leading to asphyxia. After the injection, the person dies within half an hour.

Back in school, everyone was warned to be careful with the thermometer. And this is not just like that, but because of a heavy metal called mercury. It is an incredibly toxic metal that enters the body either through inhalation or through skin contact. If mercury comes into contact with the skin, it causes itching, burning, and the skin may even peel off. Mercury can cause memory loss, vision loss, kidney failure and brain cell destruction. The result is death.

A notorious poison found in fugu fish, popular among sushi connoisseurs who are willing to pay a hefty price in the hope that the fish is cooked correctly. The first symptoms appear 30 minutes after eating poisonous fish. At first, the person feels his mouth paralyzed and it becomes difficult to swallow. Soon there is a violation of coordination of movements and speech. Seizures and convulsions begin, as a result the person may fall into a coma and die. Death occurs after about 6 hours, but cases have been reported fatal outcome after 17 minutes. This poison is considered one of the deadliest on earth.

Ricin is another poison that has become popular, as has anthrax, in connection with sending it by mail. Actress who starred in the film “ Walking Dead”, was convicted of precisely this crime. Ricin has been found in castor bean seeds. Ricin is an incredibly deadly poison; it binds to proteins in the body, causing death. It was considered a chemical weapon by the US military and members of al-Qaeda.

The most dangerous nerve gas on the planet, formerly a pesticide, has become an excellent target for militaries around the world, despite the ban on the use of weapons mass destruction. Gas has no other use except during war. The gas is so poisonous that one drop of it on the skin can kill a person. When inhaled, the first symptoms of poisoning are similar to the onset of the flu, then paralysis of the respiratory system occurs, which leads to death.

This is the deadliest poison on Earth. A cup of the toxin could kill hundreds of thousands of people by causing the disease botulism, a disease that affects the central nervous system. Surprisingly, this poison has an important practical application- from Botox injection procedures to migraine treatment. It is known that some patients have died after procedures using botulinum toxin. Of those affected by this poison, 50% die without receiving medical care, and those who survive suffer from serious complications for many years. Due to its instability and easy availability in nature, botulinum toxin is the deadliest poison in the world. However, the cosmetic industry often uses

Trying to figure out which poison is the strongest in nature is doomed to failure - too many variables affect the results. However, if we take only one parameter - the average lethal dose, only one type of living beings - laboratory mice, only one route of administration - intramuscular, evaluate not whole poisons, but their individual components, then some idea of the “ideal killers” can be obtained.

The average lethal dose, DL50 (lat. dosis letalis), causes the death of half of the experimental animals (DL100 is the dose minimally sufficient for all who received it). DL is measured in milligrams of a substance per 1 kg of animal body weight (mg/kg); in our rating it is indicated in parentheses after the name of the substance. So, the top 10 most toxic poisons with DL50 - for mice when administered intramuscularly.

Neurotoxin II (0.085 mg/kg)

Source: component of the poison of the Central Asian (Naja oxiana).

The venom of this snake is extremely strong. When bitten, it has a neurotoxic effect. After the bite, the victim is lethargic, but soon begins to experience convulsions, breathing becomes more frequent and shallow. Death occurs after some time due to paralysis of the respiratory tract. Local manifestations (hematomas, tumors) do not occur with a Central Asian bite.

Despite the danger, this snake bites quite rarely, preferring to take a defensive pose when danger approaches, and hisses loudly, raising the front part of the body and spreading the front eight pairs of cervical ribs to the sides in such a way that the flattened neck expands in the form of a “hood”. Usually, this is enough to convince the enemy to retreat. Although, even if the enemy does not heed the warnings, this is not always followed by a bite. First, the cobra delivers a false bite - throwing the front part of the body sharply forward and hitting the enemy with its head. The mouth is closed during this blow. In this way, the snake protects its own from possible injury.

The Central Asian cobra, whose length reaches 1.5-1.6 m, is common in northwestern India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and northeastern Iran. IN Central Asia this snake is found in Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Northern border area - the Nura-Tau ridge and the Bel-Tau-Ata mountains, the western - the spurs of the Turkestan ridge.

Antidote: it is recommended to administer Anticobra serum or polyvalent antisnake serum, use of anticholinesterase drugs in combination with atropine, corticosteroids, and antihypoxants. In case of deep breathing disorders, artificial ventilation of the lungs is necessary.

Alpha-latrotoxin (0.045 mg/kg)

Source: Contained in the venom of 31 species of spiders of the genus Latrodectus (karakurt).

A neurotoxin that causes the release of acetylcholine, norepinephrine and other mediators from presynaptic terminals, followed by depletion of their reserves.

At the moment of a bite, an immediate burning pain is most often felt (in some sources, the bite is painless), which spreads throughout the body within 15-30 minutes. Typically, patients complain of unbearable pain in the abdomen, lower back, and chest. Characterized by sharp abdominal muscles. Shortness of breath, palpitations, increased heart rate, dizziness, headache, tremor, vomiting, pallor or flushing of the face, sweating, a feeling of heaviness in the chest and epigastric areas, exophthalmos and dilated pupils. The face takes on a bluish tint. Priapism, bronchospasm, urinary and defecatory retention are also characteristic. Psychomotor agitation in the later stages of poisoning is replaced by deep depression, blackouts, and delirium. Known deaths in humans and farm animals. After 3-5 days, the skin becomes covered with a rash, and the victim’s condition improves somewhat. Recovery begins after 2-3 weeks, but long time feels general weakness.

Karakurts (“black widows”) live in tropical, subtropical and even temperate latitudes on all continents except Antarctica. Only females are dangerous (their body size is up to 2 cm). Males are much smaller (0.5 cm) and are not able to bite through human skin. The toxicity of the poison has a pronounced seasonal dependence: the September one is about ten times more powerful than the May one.

Antidote: antikarakurt serum.

Alpha-conotoxin (0.012 mg/kg)

Source: component of the complex venom of the mollusk Conus geographus (geographic cone).

A neurotoxin that blocks H-cholinergic receptors in muscles and peripheral nerves.

Cones are very active when touched in their habitat. Their toxic apparatus consists of a poisonous gland connected by a duct to a hard proboscis by a radula-grater located at the wide end of the shell, with sharp spines that replace the mollusk’s teeth. If you take the shell in your hands, the mollusk instantly extends the radula and thrusts spines into the body. The injection is accompanied by acute pain leading to loss of consciousness, numbness of the fingers, strong heartbeat, shortness of breath, and sometimes paralysis. In the Pacific Islands, cases of shell collectors dying from cone stings have been recorded.

The cone shells are 15-20 cm long. Habitat is the eastern and northern coasts of Australia, east coast Southeast Asia and China and the Central Pacific region.

Antidote: There is no antidote. The only measure is copious bleeding from the injection site.

Chiriquitotoxin (0.01 mg/kg)

Source: Produced by the skin of the toad Atelopus chiriquiensis.

A structural analogue of tetrodotoxin - it differs only in the replacement of the CH2OH group with an as yet unidentified radical. Neurotoxin, blocks sodium and potassium channels in the membranes of nerve endings.

Causes impaired coordination of movements, convulsions, incomplete paralysis of the limbs.

Small (males - about 3 cm, females - 3.5-5 cm) toads with beautiful name Chiriquitas are found on the isthmus between North and South America - in Panama and Costa Rica. The species is endangered. The toxin is produced by the skin of the chirikit, and the toxicity, we recall, was assessed when administered intramuscularly.

Antidote

Tityutoxin (0.009 mg/kg)

Source: one of the venom components of the yellow fat-tailed scorpion (Androctonus australis).

Neurotoxin slows down the inactivation of fast sodium channels of electrically excitable membranes, which leads to the development of persistent depolarization.

The venom of the yellow fat-tailed scorpion is produced in two enlarged glands located immediately behind the sting, which looks like a barb at the end of the tail. They are what give Scorpios the “fat” appearance. It also differs from other scorpions in the color of its sting - from dark brown to black. The venom of the fat-tailed scorpion is so toxic that it can even kill an adult human. Mainly eats small insects, such as locusts or beetles, but easily deals with a small lizard or mouse. As soon as the victim stops resisting, the scorpion dismembers the body into small parts using sharp claws.

This type of scorpion is associated with up to 80% of all serious poisonings and up to 95% of deaths from scorpion injections.

Androctonus australis are medium-sized scorpions up to 10 cm long. They are not related to Australia: australis in Latin means “southern”, and androctonus in Greek means “murderer”. Found in the Middle East, north and southeast Africa (Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Iraq, Iran, etc.).

Antidote: antitoxic serum “Antiscorpion”. Antikarakurt serum can be used as a slightly less effective replacement.

Tetrodotoxin (0.008 mg/kg)

Source: produced and accumulated in the tissues of fish of the Tetraodontidae family, the mollusk BabyIonia japonica and the chirikit’s close relative, the toad Atelopus varius.

Neurotoxin, selectively blocks sodium channels in the membranes of nerve endings.

This is a dangerous poison that, once in digestive tract, causes severe pain, convulsions and usually leads to death.

Some species of the Tetraodontidae family (four-toothed, also known as rock-toothed, dogfish and pufferfish) reach a length of up to half a meter. Both these fish and the dish made from them are called “fugu” in Japan. The poison is contained in the liver, milk, caviar, intestines and skin, so only specially trained chefs are allowed to prepare fugu, who remove the poisonous organs using a separate method for each type. If pufferfish meat is prepared by ignorant amateurs, then in 60 cases out of 100, trying such a dish leads to death. And such cases are still not uncommon. According to a Japanese proverb, “he who eats fugu is a fool, but he who does not eat is also a fool.”
The habitat of puffer fish is from the northern coast of Australia to the northern coast of Japan and from the southern coast of China to the eastern islands of Oceania.

The mollusk Babylonia japonica has a very beautiful sink classic spiral shape 40-85 mm long. Habitat: the coast of the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan and Japan.

Toads Atelopus varius (Atelop variegated) are small, 2.5-4 cm, and if you are “lucky” you can stumble upon them only in the jungles of Panama and Costa Rica.

Antidote: There is no specific antidote; detoxification and symptomatic therapy is carried out.

Typoxin (typotoxin) (0.002 mg/kg)

Source: component of the venom of the most poisonous snake on earth - the Australian taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus). Before the development of the antidote (1955), up to 90% of those bitten died.

A presynaptic toxin has phospholipase activity and causes a characteristic release of nerve impulse mediators (weakening of secretion, strengthening and, finally, its complete inhibition). Has neurotoxic and myotoxic effects.

Taipan is very aggressive. When in danger, it curls and vibrates the end of its tail. Snakes are most aggressive during the mating period and skin change, but this does not mean that at other times they are peaceful and docile.

Taipans reach a length of 2 to 3.6 m. They are distinguished by a very aggressive character, but, fortunately, they are found only in sparsely populated areas on the northeast coast of Australia and southern New Guinea.

Antidote: antitoxic taipan serum.

Batrachotoxin (0.002 mg/kg)

Source: skin secretion of leaf-climbing frogs of the genus Phyllobates.

It has a strong cardiotoxic effect, causing extrasystoles and fibrillation of the ventricles of the heart, paralyzing the respiratory muscles, myocardium and skeletal muscles. Persistently and irreversibly increases the permeability of the resting membrane for sodium ions and blocks axonal transport.

The poisonousness of these frogs is such that you can’t even touch them. The skin secretions of leafhoppers contain alkaloids-batrachotoxins, which, when ingested, cause arrhythmia, fibrillation and cardiac arrest.

Tree frogs do not exceed 5 cm in length and are usually brightly colored in gold, black-orange and black-yellow (warning coloration). If you get carried away to South America from Nicaragua to Colombia, don’t grab them with your hands.

Antidote: There is no specific antidote; detoxification and symptomatic therapy is carried out. A strong antagonist is tetrodotoxin - wedge by wedge...

Palytoxin (0.00015 mg/kg)

Source: contained in the rays of the six-rayed coral polyps Palythoa toxica, P. tuberculosa, P. сaribacorum.

Cytotoxic poison. Damages the sodium-potassium pump of cells, disrupting the gradient of ion concentrations between the cell and the intercellular environment. Causes pain in the chest, as with angina pectoris, tachycardia, difficulty breathing, hemolysis. Death occurs within the first few minutes after the injection into the polyp.

The body of these polyps - inhabitants of the coral reefs of the Indian and Pacific Oceans- consists not of eight, as in ordinary corals, but of six or of more than eight, the number of rays located on several corollas, usually a multiple of six.

Antidote: There is no specific antidote; symptomatic therapy is carried out. Animal studies suggest that simple vasodilators such as papaverine or isosorbide dinitrate may be effective.

Diamphotoxin (0.000025 Kmg/kg)

Source: the most powerful poison of animal origin on our planet, contained in the hemolymph (“blood”) of the larvae of the South African leaf beetle of the genus Diamphidia (D.Кlocusta, D.Кnigro-ornata, D.Кfemoralis), belonging to the same family with all known pests - Colorado potato beetle. Designed solely for protection from predators.

A single-chain polypeptide that opens all sodium-potassium channels in the cell membrane “for entry”, as a result of which the cell dies due to an imbalance in the intracellular electrolyte balance. It has a neurotoxic and especially pronounced hemolytic effect; in a short period of time it reduces the hemoglobin content in the blood by 75% due to the massive destruction of red blood cells. Bushmen still use crushed larvae of diamphidia: an arrow smeared with this liquid can knock down an adult 500-kilogram giraffe.

Adult beetles reach 10-12 mm in length. Females lay eggs on the branches of Commiphora plants. The larvae burrow into the ground, pupate and develop into a pupa over several years. Therefore, finding Diamphidia cocoons is not a problem for hunters.

Antidote: There is no specific antidote. Carry out detoxification and symptomatic therapy.

Immense physical strength, powerful fangs and razor-sharp teeth are not the only weapons used in the animal kingdom. Thousands of animals use highly toxic poisons for attack or defense.

We present to your attention the ten most poisonous creatures in the world.

(Total 14 photos)

1. Box jellyfish

Main prize our top goes to Box Jellyfish ( Chironex fleckeri), which received this name because of its cubic shape. Over the past 60 years, this handsome man has claimed about 6 thousand lives. Its venom is considered the deadliest in the world, with toxins affecting the heart, nervous system and skin cells.

And, even worse, all this is accompanied by such hellish pain that the victims go into a state of shock and either drown or die from cardiac arrest. If you immediately treat the wound with vinegar or a solution of acetic acid, the victim has a chance, but, as a rule, vinegar cannot be found in water 😉

Box jellyfish can be found in sea waters Asia and Australia.

2. King Cobra(Ophiophagus hannah)

The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the longest poisonous snake in the world, reaching 5.6 meters in length. Ophiophagus literally translates to "snake eater" because it eats other snakes. A single bite from this deadly snake can easily kill a person. She can even kill an adult asian elephant within 3 hours if the animal is bitten in a vulnerable area such as the trunk.

Among the representatives of snakes there are also more poisonous ones than the King Cobra, but it is capable of releasing much more poison than others. For example, 5 times more than the Black Mamba.
The king cobra is widespread in the dense mountain forests of South and Southeast Asia.

3. Scorpio Leius quincestriatus

Contrary to popular belief, most scorpions are relatively safe for humans, since the stings only cause local effects (pain, anemia, swelling). However, Leiruses are very dangerous look scorpions because their venom is a powerful cocktail of neurotoxins that causes intense and unbearable pain, followed by fever, followed by coma, convulsions, paralysis and death.
Leiruses are common in North Africa and in the Middle East.

4. Taipan or Fierce Snake (Oxyuranus microlepidotus)

Just one taipan bite contains enough venom to kill 100 adult humans or an army of 250,000 mice. Its extremely neurotoxic venom is at least 200-400 times more poisonous than that of a common cobra. In just 45 minutes after a bite, an adult can die. But fortunately, there is an antidote, and besides, this snake is very timid and immediately crawls away at the slightest danger.
Lives in Australia.

5. Tree frogs or Poisonous frogs

If you ever manage to visit the rain forests of Central and South America, never touch the little ones beautiful frogs- they can be extremely poisonous. For example, the size of the Golden Dart frog is only 5 cm, and the poison in it is enough to kill 10 adults.
In the old days, local tribes used the poison of these frogs to lubricate the tips of their arrows.

6. Blue Ringed Octopus (Australian Octopus)

The Blue Ringed Octopus is a small, golf ball-sized, but extremely poisonous creature that lives in coastal waters around Australia and a little further north towards Japan. The blue-ringed octopus is usually light in color, with dark brown bands along its eight legs and body, with blue circles, added on top of these dark brown groups. When an octopus is disturbed or taken out of the water, it darkens and the rings become shiny and electric blue, and it is this color change that gives the animal its name.

Its poison is strong enough to kill a person. In fact, the octopus carries enough venom to kill 26 adults within a couple of minutes, and there is no antidote. If measures are not taken and treatment is not started, the person begins to feel numbness, difficulty speaking, seeing, breathing problems arise, then complete paralysis and death occurs due to cardiac arrest and lack of oxygen.

7. Brazilian Wandering Spider (Phoneutria) or banana spider

This abomination was included in the Guinness Book of Records in 2007 for being guilty of the greatest number human deaths caused by spider bites. What is important is that these spiders are dangerous not only for their poison, but also for their behavior: they do not sit still and do not weave webs, they wander the earth, hiding in buildings, clothes, shoes, cars, anywhere; which significantly increases the risk of unexpectedly meeting them and being bitten.

8. Ball Fish or Puffer

Ball fish is the second most poisonous vertebrate animal on earth (the first is the Golden Dart frog from point 5). The meat of some subspecies, for example Fugu, is a delicacy in Japan and Korea, but the problem is that the surface of the fish and certain of its organs are very poisonous. The venom of fugu causes paralysis, resulting in suffocation and death from lack of oxygen.
Therefore, only licensed chefs are allowed to cook such fish in Japan.

9. Marbled Cone Snail

The marbled cone snail looks beautiful and very cute, but it can be just as deadly as any other animal on this list. A drop of its poison can kill 20 people. Signs of a bite: severe pain, swelling, numbness, and in serious cases, paralysis and respiratory failure. There is no antidote.

However, over the entire period, about 30 cases of human deaths from the poison of this snail have been recorded, which is not very much compared to other representatives of our list.

10. Stone fish

The stonefish may never win a beauty contest, but it will definitely win the "Most poisonous fish" The poison causes such unbearable pain that in search of salvation from suffering, victims wish to amputate the affected area. It is believed that the bite of a stone fish provokes severe pain, known to man. The pain is accompanied by shock, paralysis, and tissue death.

If you don't get an ambulance medical care, the outcome can be fatal.

Stonefish store their toxins in hideous dorsal ridges, which are designed to protect them from predators.
It is widespread in tropical waters Quiet and Indian Oceans, from the Red Sea to the Great Barrier Reef.

The Swiss physician and alchemist Paracelsus famously said: “All substances are poisons; there is not a single one that is not. The right dose makes the difference between the poison,” and he’s right. Even the water is too large quantities will kill you. However, some substances require very small quantity to cause death - sometimes all it takes is for a drop to fall on a gloved hand - which is why they initially fell into the class of poisons. From flowers to heavy metals, from man-made gases to real poison, here are the 25 most dangerous poisons. known to mankind.

25. Cyanide can be in the form of a colorless gas or crystals, but in either case it is quite dangerous. It smells like bitter almonds, and once ingested, it can cause symptoms such as headache, nausea, rapid breathing and increased heart rate, and weakness in just a few minutes. If left untreated, cyanide kills because cells are deprived of oxygen. And yes, cyanide can be obtained from apple seeds, but don't worry if you eat a few. You will need to eat about ten kernels before you have enough cyanide in your body to have any effect. negative influence. Please don't do this.

24. Hydrofluoric acid (Fluoric acid) is a poison used, among other things, in the production of Teflon. In its liquid state, this substance can easily seep through the skin into the bloodstream. In the body, it reacts with calcium and can even destroy the underlying bone. The scary part is that the contact doesn't cause any pain at first, leaving more time and opportunity for serious damage to occur.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

23. Arsenic is a naturally occurring crystalline semimetal and perhaps one of the best known and most common poisons used as a murder weapon in the late 19th century. However, its use for such purposes began in the mid-1700s. Arsenic poisoning can cause death within hours or days. Symptoms of poisoning include vomiting and diarrhea, which made it difficult to distinguish arsenic poisoning from dysentery or cholera 120 years ago.

Photo: maxpixel

22. Belladonna or Deadly Nightshade is a very poisonous herb (flower) with a very romantic story. What makes it poisonous is an alkaloid called atropine, and the entire plant is poisonous, with the root containing the most poison and the berries the least. However, even two eaten are enough to kill a child. Some people use belladonna for relaxation as a hallucinogen, and in Victorian times women would often drop belladonna tincture into their eyes to dilate their pupils and make their eyes sparkle. Before you die under the influence of belladonna, you may experience a seizure, increased heart rate, and confusion. Don't play with belladonna, kids.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

21. Carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide) is an odorless, tasteless, colorless substance and slightly less dense than air. It will poison and then kill you. Part of what makes carbon monoxide so dangerous is that it is difficult to detect; sometimes called the "silent killer". This substance prevents the body from delivering oxygen to where it is needed, such as to cells, to keep them alive and functioning. Early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are similar to the flu without fever: headache, weakness, drowsiness, lethargy, insomnia, nausea and confusion. Fortunately, you can purchase a carbon monoxide detector at almost any specialty store.

Photo: wikimedia commons

20. The deadliest tree in all North America grows in Florida. Otherwise, where else would he grow? The Manchineel tree or Beach apple tree has small green fruits that look like apples and look like they would taste sweet. Don't eat them. And don't touch this tree. Don't sit next to it or under it, and pray you never end up in the wind under it. If the sap gets on your skin, it will blister, and if it gets in your eyes, you may go blind. The juice is contained in both the leaves and the bark, so do not touch them. Probably, the juice of this plant killed the conquistador Ponce de Leon, who discovered Florida.

Photo: nps.gov

19. Fluorine is a pale yellow gas that is highly poisonous, corrosive and will react with almost anything. For fluorine to be lethal, a concentration of 0.000025% is sufficient. It causes blindness and asphyxiates the victim like mustard gas, but its effects are much worse.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

18. The pesticide used is Compound 1080, also known as sodium fluoroacetate. IN natural form it is found in several plant species in Africa, Brazil and Australia. The terrible truth The thing about this deadly, odorless and tasteless poison is that there is no antidote for it. Oddly enough, the bodies of those who die from ingesting this poison remain poisonous for a whole year.

Photo: lizenzhinweisgenerator.de

17. The most dangerous man-made poison is called dioxin, and it only takes 50 micrograms to kill an adult. It is the third most toxic poison known to science, 60 times more toxic than cyanide.

Photo: wikimedia commons

16. Dimethylmercury (a neurotoxin) is a terrible poison because it can penetrate most standard protective equipment, such as thick latex gloves. This is exactly what happened to a female chemist named Karen Wetterhahn in 1996. A single drop of colorless liquid fell on my gloved hand, and that was it. Symptoms began to appear FOUR MONTHS later, and six months later she was dead.

Photo: wikipedia.org

15. Wolfsbane (Fighter) also known as "Monk's Hood", "Wolfsbane", "Leopard's Venom", "Women's Curse", "Devil's Helm", "Queen of Poisons" and "Blue Rocket". In fact it's whole family, which includes more than 250 herbs, and most of them are extremely poisonous. The flowers can be either blue or yellow, and while some of the plants are used for traditional medicine, it has also been used as a murder weapon over the past decade.

Photo: maxpixel

14. Toxin found in poisonous mushrooms, is called amatoxin. It attacks liver and kidney cells and kills them within a few days. Sometimes it also affects the heart and central nervous system. There is treatment, but results are not guaranteed. The poison is temperature stable and cannot be removed by drying. So unless you are 100% sure they are safe, don't eat mushrooms.

Photo: maxpixel

13. Anthrax is actually caused by a bacterium called Bacillus anthracis. What makes you sick is not so much the bacteria, but the toxin they produce when they enter the body. Bacillus Anthracis can enter your system through the skin, mouth, or respiratory tract. The mortality rate from airborne anthrax reaches 75% even with treatment.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

12. Hemlock plant - classic poisonous plant which was regularly used for executions in Ancient Greece, including for the philosopher Socrates. There are several varieties, and in North America, water hemlock is the most common plant. You could die from eating it, but people still do it, thinking hemlock is a perfectly acceptable salad ingredient. Water hemlock causes painful and severe convulsions, cramps and tremors. Those who survive may subsequently suffer amnesia or other long-term problems. Water hemlock is considered the deadliest plant in North America. Serious note: Supervise your children, even older ones, when they are outside. Don't eat anything unless you are 100% sure it is safe.

Photo: flickr.com

11. Strychnine is commonly used to destroy small mammals and birds, and is often the main ingredient in rat poison. In large doses, strychnine can also be fatal to humans. It can be swallowed, inhaled, or enter the body through the skin. The first symptoms: painful muscle cramps, nausea and vomiting. Muscle contractions ultimately lead to suffocation. Death can occur within half an hour. This is very unpleasant way die, for both man and rat.

Photo: flickr.com

10. Most of those who understand such things consider maytotoxin to be the most powerful marine toxin. It's found in a dinoflagellate algae called Gambierdiscus toxicus, and if those words confuse you, just think of deadly plankton to get the point across. For mice, meiototoxin is the most toxic among non-protein toxins.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

9. Mercury, the silvery liquid in old school thermometers, is a heavy metal that is quite toxic to humans if inhaled or touched. If you touch it, it can cause your skin to peel off, and if you inhale the mercury vapor, it will eventually shut down your central nervous system and you will die. Before then, you are likely to experience kidney failure, memory loss, brain damage and blindness.

Photo: flickr.com

8. Polonium is radioactive chemical element and has been implicated in the deaths of everyone from Yasser Arafat to Russian dissidents. Its most common form is 250,000 times more toxic than hydrocyanic acid. It is radioactive and emits alpha particles (they are not compatible with organic tissues). Alpha particles cannot penetrate the skin, so polonium must be ingested or injected into the victim. However, if this happens, the result will not be long in coming. One theory is that a gram of polonium 210 could kill up to ten million people if injected or ingested, causing first radiation poisoning and then cancer.

Photo: flickr.com

7. Suicide tree or Cerbera odollam acts by disturbing the natural rhythm of the heart and often causing death. A member of the same family as Oleander, the plant was often used to perform the "innocence test" in Madagascar. An estimated 3,000 people a year died from drinking Cerberus poison before the practice was outlawed in 1861. (If you survived, you were found innocent. If you died, it didn't matter because you were dead).

Photo: wikipedia.org

6. Botulinum toxin is produced by the bacterium Clostridium Botulinum, and it is an incredibly powerful neurotoxin. It causes paralysis, which can lead to death. You may know botulinum toxin by its commercial name, Botox. Yes, that's what the doctor injects into your mom's forehead to make it less wrinkled (or into her neck to help with migraines) to cause muscle paralysis.

Photo: flickr.com

5. Pufferfish is considered a delicacy in some countries, where it is called Fugu; it's a dish that some would literally die for. Why? Because the insides of the fish contain tetrodotoxin, and in Japan, approximately 5 people a year die from eating puffer fish as a result of improper preparation technology. But gourmets continue to persist.

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4. Sarin gas will give you the opportunity to survive the worst moments of your life. Your chest tightens, tighter, tighter, and then... it relaxes because you are dead. Although Sarin was outlawed in 1995, it has not stopped being used in terrorist attacks.

Photo: flickr

3. Golden Poison Arrow Frog - Tiny, adorable and quite dangerous. Only one frog is the size of the end of your thumb contains enough neurotoxin to kill ten people! A dose equal to about two grains of salt is enough to kill an adult. This is why some Amazonian tribes used poison to coat the tips of their hunting arrows. One touch of such an arrow will kill you within minutes! Here's a great rule: if you see a frog and it's yellow, blue, green or red, don't touch it.

Photo: maxpixel

2. Ricin is more lethal than anthrax. This substance is obtained from the castor bean, the same plant from which we obtain castor oil. This poison is especially toxic if inhaled, and a pinch of it will kill you very quickly.

Photo: wikimedia commons

1. Codenamed “Purple Possum”, a VX gas, is the most powerful nerve gas on Earth. It is entirely man-made and we can thank the United Kingdom for that. It was technically banned in 1993, and the US allegedly destroyed its stockpile. Other countries are “working on it.” Which we should trust completely because governments are known to be 100% honest about these things.

Photo: wikimedia commons

Omega is a highly toxic substance that is part of hemlock. Just 100 milligrams of it (8 leaves) will be enough to kill a person. How it works: all body systems gradually fail, except the brain. As a result, you, being in your right mind, begin to die slowly and painfully until you suffocate.

The most popular hemlock was among the Greeks. Interesting fact: This plant caused the death of Socrates in 399 BC. The Greeks executed him in this way for disrespect for the gods.

Source: wikipedia.org

No. 9 - Aconite

This poison is obtained from the fighter plant. It causes arrhythmia, which ends in suffocation. They say that even touching this plant without gloves can result in death. It is almost impossible to detect traces of poison in the body. Most famous case Applications - Emperor Claudius poisoned his wife Agrippina by adding aconite to her mushroom dish.

Source: wikipedia.org

#8 - Belladonna

In the Middle Ages, belladonna was used as a women's cosmetic (rouge for cheeks). Special drops were even obtained from the plant to dilate the pupils (at that time this was considered fashionable). You could also swallow belladonna leaves - one is just enough for a person to die. Berries are also not a miss: you only need to eat 10 of them to die. In those days, a special poisonous solution was made from the latter, which was used to lubricate arrowheads.

Source: wikipedia.org

#7 - Dimethylmercury

This is the slowest and most insidious killer. This is because even 0.1 milliliter that accidentally gets on your skin will be enough to be fatal. The most notorious case: in 1996, a chemistry teacher at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire dropped a drop of poison onto her hand. Dimethylmercury burned through a latex glove; symptoms of poisoning appeared after 4 months. And 10 months later the scientist died.

Source: wikipedia.org

#6 - Tetrodotoxin

This poison is found in blue-ringed octopuses and puffer fish(fugu). With the former, things are very bad: octopuses deliberately attack their prey with tetrodotoxin, imperceptibly pricking it with special needles. Death occurs within a few minutes, but symptoms do not appear immediately - after paralysis sets in. One poison blue-ringed octopus enough to kill 26 healthy men.

It’s easier with fugu: their poison is only dangerous when you’re about to eat the fish. It all depends on the correct preparation: if the cook is not mistaken, the tetrodoxin will all evaporate. And you will eat the dish without any consequences, except for incredible adrenaline rushes...

Source: wikipedia.org

#5 - Polonium

Polonium is a radioactive poison for which there is no antidote. The substance is so dangerous that just 1 gram of it can kill 1.5 million people in a few months. The most sensational case of the use of polonium was the death of Alexander Litvinenko, an employee of the KGB-FSB. He died in 3 weeks, the reason was that 200 grams of poison were found in his body.

Source: wikipedia.org

#4 - Mercury

elemental mercury - found in thermometers. Instant death occurs if it is inhaled;
inorganic mercury - used in the manufacture of batteries. Lethal if swallowed;
organic mercury. Sources are tuna and swordfish. It is recommended to eat no more than 170 grams per month. Otherwise, organic mercury will begin to accumulate in the body.

The most famous case of use is the poisoning of Amadeus Mozart. He was given mercury tablets to treat syphilis.