A Drop Of Death: 5 Most Dangerous Poisons Known To Science - Alternative View

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A Drop Of Death: 5 Most Dangerous Poisons Known To Science - Alternative View
A Drop Of Death: 5 Most Dangerous Poisons Known To Science - Alternative View

Video: A Drop Of Death: 5 Most Dangerous Poisons Known To Science - Alternative View

Video: A Drop Of Death: 5 Most Dangerous Poisons Known To Science - Alternative View
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The Middle Ages are long gone, and poisoning as a way to get rid of a person, it would seem, has long become unpopular. But this does not make the existing poisons less dangerous and the probability of death is as strong as it was five centuries ago, even if even now the poison is not worn in a ring on the little finger and is not mixed into a cup. We decided to recall the five most dangerous poisons and find out how to protect ourselves.

Botulinum toxins

Clostridium Botulinum is everywhere, it lives on all continents and continents, in the ground. This bacterium is able to survive even in salty sea water, in the hot Sahara and Antarctica, which indicates its ideal ability to adapt to various environmental conditions. The only thing that saves a person from infection with a bacillus is gastric juice, which kills the development of bacteria. If disputes start to form, it is very difficult to contain their growth. They are difficult to remove even with a 10-minute boil. Optimal conditions for the development of botulism bacillus are maintained, for example, with cold canning. When eating contaminated food, just one bite of the product is enough to get infected and die within one day. Not a single person, not a single animal on the planet is immune to botulism. Just one gram per kilogram of body weight of a spore-bearing bacillus becomes a guarantor of the development of botulism and death. An adult elephant weighs 5.5 tons and will die in less than 3 days if consumed with 0.005454 mg of toxin.

4 kg of Clostridium Botulinum bacteria is enough to kill all of humanity

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snake poison

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Snake venom is a complex mixture of organic and inorganic substances produced by the glands of some species of snakes. The composition and properties of the venom of various snakes vary greatly, depending on the species of animal. Like botulinum toxins, most snake venoms are a mixture of neurotoxins with concentrations well above the normal range. An important feature of snake venom is its speed of action. A powerful poison can kill a person very quickly, while toxins from other snake breeds will turn a person into a disabled person very slowly. This process can take from several days to a couple of weeks - until recovery or death.

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There are two types of snake venom: by the nature of the effect on the body:

Neurotoxic - have a curariform effect, stop neuromuscular transmission, resulting in death from paralysis

Hemovasotoxic - cause vascular spasm, followed by vascular permeability, and then edema of tissues and internal organs

Arsenic

One of the most ancient mortal potions is arsenic. According to legend, Alexander the Great himself was the first to bring it to Europe. Then the poison was called "sandarak" and was considered a magical element. Alchemists used arsenic everywhere to find gold. It was believed that it was he who was the catalyst for the magical transformations of lead into a precious metal.

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Arsenic is the strongest poison. Acute poisoning with these substances is manifested by abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and central nervous system depression. Symptoms of intoxication with this substance are very similar to those of cholera. Death occurs within hours of taking a lethal dose of arsenic.

Polonium-210

The radioactive isotope that was used to kill Alexander Litvinenko is extremely toxic even in micro doses. Polonium kills slowly and surely, emitting radioactive radiation, transforming human DNA molecules into ragged remains of a solid structure. The half-life of polonium-210 is one month, which in case of poisoning with the substance, represents thirty days of continuous agony.

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Mercury

Mercury compounds - cinnabar, calomel and mercuric chloride - were used for various purposes, including as poisons. Metallic mercury has also been known since ancient times, although its toxicity was initially greatly underestimated. Mercury and its compounds became especially widely used in the Middle Ages, in particular in the production of gold and silver mirrors (using amalgams), as well as in the manufacture of felt for hats, which caused a stream of new, already professional poisonings. Chronic mercury poisoning at that time was called "the disease of the old hatter."

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Acute mercury poisoning manifests itself several hours after the onset of poisoning. Symptoms of acute poisoning: general weakness, lack of appetite, headache, pain when swallowing, a metallic taste in the mouth, salivation, swelling and bleeding of the gums, nausea and vomiting. Inflammation of the lungs, catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, chest pains, coughing and shortness of breath, often severe chills, are common. The body temperature rises to 38-40 ° C. In severe cases, the death of the victim occurs after a few days.