The most powerful poisons in nature. Natural poisons

10. In tenth place is the venom of the Central Asian cobra (Naja oxiana).

Central Asian cobra, the length of which 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.
The venom of this snake is extremely strong. After the bite, the victim becomes lethargic, but soon the body begins to be shaken by convulsions, breathing quickens, and becomes shallow. Without necessary assistance death occurs within a few minutes as a result of paralysis of the respiratory tract.
The main damaging component of the venom is neurotoxin II, the minimum sufficient dose (DL) is 0.085 mg/kg.
Antidote: it is recommended to administer Anticobra serum or polyvalent antisnake serum, use of anticholinesterase drugs in combination with atropine, corticosteroids, and antihypoxants.

9. Ninth place is occupied by the venom of a spider that bears the title of “the most poisonous in the world” - a spider from the karakurt genus (Latrodectus), which is also called the “black widow”.

Karakurts (“black widows”) live in tropical, subtropical and even temperate latitudes on all continents except Antarctica. Only females pose a danger to humans (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.

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. Patients usually complain of unbearable pain in the abdomen, lower back, chest. Characterized by sharp tension in the 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 regions, 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.

The main damaging component of the poison is a substance called alpha-latrotoxin, the minimum sufficient dose of which is 0.045 mg/kg.
Antidote: antikarakurt serum.




8. Eighth place for poison blue-ringed octopus(Hapalochlaena).

The blue-ringed octopus is a genus of octopus that includes four known species, living in coastal waters Australia, Philippines, Indonesia and New Guinea. They are found at depths of up to 50 meters, and they can be found both near reefs and on the gently sloping coastline. The weight of animals varies in the range of 10-100 grams. The body of all mollusks of this genus is covered with large blue rings. Octopuses have different rings. In some (Hapalochlaena maculosa) the rings are visible only in an aggressive state; during periods of calm they do not appear.
The venom of the blue-ringed octopus is maculotoxin, or more precisely, tetrodotoxin, a poison with a neurotoxic effect. It is produced not by the mollusk itself, but by the bacteria living in it.

The poison blocks sodium channels, leading to muscle paralysis, stopping the respiratory muscles and, as a result, the heart. However, if a paralyzed person is kept on artificial respiration, after some time the tetrodotoxin is neutralized by the body.

First health care when bitten by a blue-ringed octopus:
- bandage-tourniquet above the bite, preventing the spread of poison throughout the body
- artificial respiration, which must be done even if the victim seems dead, because the action of the poison leads to a state in which the victim is fully aware of what is happening, but cannot give any signal.




7. In seventh place is shellfish poison , living on the east and north coasts of Australia, as well as on east coast Southeast Asia and China. This mollusk is called Conus geographus, or simply Cone.
The mollusk shells are 15-20 cm long. The 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 poison at the cone has complex composition, the main damaging component is called alpha-conotoxin, the minimum sufficient dose is 0.012 mg/kg.
There is no antidote for shellfish toxin - it’s not for nothing that he is considered the most poisonous snail peace! The only measure is copious bleeding from the injection site.




6. Venom of the yellow scorpion (Androctonus australis) in sixth place.
Androctonus australis are medium-sized scorpions up to 10-12 cm long and live up to 5 years. They have no relation 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.). This type of scorpion is associated with up to 80% of all serious poisonings and up to 95% of deaths from scorpion injections.

A bite from these extremely aggressive creatures can be fatal within seconds.
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. It feeds mainly on small insects such as locusts or beetles, but can easily kill small lizards or mice. As soon as the victim stops resisting, the scorpion dismembers the body into small parts using sharp claws.

Basics damaging substance poison - titutoxin, the minimum sufficient dose is 0.009 mg/kg.
Antidote: anti-toxic serum "Antiscorpion". Antikarakurt serum can be used as a slightly less effective replacement. As first aid, you need to lubricate the wound with oil and apply a heating pad.




5. Fifth place is occupied by the poison of another representative of the seas - the Fugu fish , belonging to the family Tetraodontidae.
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. The habitat of puffer fish is from the northern coast of Australia to the northern coast of Japan and from south coast China to the eastern islands of Oceania.

The main damaging substance of the poison is tetrodotoxin, the minimum sufficient dose is 0.008 mg/kg. The poison is a neurotoxin; when it enters the body, it blocks sodium channels in nerve endings. Poisoning from puffer fish is fatal in 60% of cases. Despite this, the Japanese and Koreans revere fugu as a delicacy and risk their lives for gastronomic pleasure. Maybe it's worth it?
Antidote: there is no special antidote; in case of poisoning, detoxification and symptomatic treatment are carried out.




4. Australian taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) - the venom of this most poisonous snake on earth ranks fourth.
Taipans reach a length of 2 to 3.6 m. They have a very aggressive character, but, fortunately, they are found only in sparsely populated areas on the northeast coast of Australia and the south of New Guinea. Taipan is very aggressive. When in danger, it twists its body 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.

When a taipan bites, paralysis of the respiratory muscles occurs and blood clotting is impaired. The venom of this snake is about a hundred times stronger than the venom of a cobra, and, without the use of antitoxic taipan serum, death after a bite occurs in 90% of cases. The amount of poison contained in one bite can kill 100 people.
The main damaging component of the poison is a substance called thaipotoxin; the minimum sufficient dose is no more than 0.002 mg/kg.
Antidote: Antitoxic Taipan Serum.




3. Opens the top three poison dart frogs/leaf climbers , or rather one of their representatives, the most poisonous frog in the world from the genus "Phyllobates" - terrible leaf climber (Phyllobates terribilis).
Frogs do not exceed 5 cm in length and are usually brightly colored in gold, black-orange and black-yellow tones (warning coloring). If you get carried away to South America from Nicaragua to Colombia, don’t grab them with your hands. A substance called batrachotoxin is secreted by the skin of these small, brightly colored frogs. It is so toxic that even contact with the skin can cause death. The poison 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.

American Indians use these poisonous frogs for lubricating hunting arrows and blowpipe darts. Frogs are completely insensitive to their poison. The frogs themselves are not aggressive and do not rush at people, so the simplest and most effective way protection from them - do not pick them up!
The poison of "Phyllobates terribilis" is stronger than the poison of curare and thousands of times stronger than potassium cyanide. An adult contains enough poison to kill about 1,500 people!
The minimum sufficient dose is 0.002 mg/kg.

Antidote: does not currently exist. A strong antagonist is tetrodotoxin - wedge by wedge...




2. In second place is the substance palytoxin, produced coral polyps Palythoa toxica, P. tuberculosa, P. сaribacorum.
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.

Palytoxin is a cytotoxic poison. If affected, death occurs within a few minutes as a result of a sharp narrowing of the coronary vessels and paralysis of the respiratory muscles.
Antidote: no. That's why it's in second place!




1. And, finally, the leader is the larvae of the leaf beetle of the genus Diamphidia (D.Кlocusta, D.Кnigro-ornata, D.Кfemoralis).
The leaf beetle lives in South Africa and is a distant relative of the common Colorado potato beetle. Adults 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.

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, 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. Bushmen still use crushed larvae of diamphidia: an arrow smeared with this liquid can knock down an adult 500-kilogram giraffe.

The substance diamphotoxin contained in their “blood” is the most powerful natural poison on the planet.
The minimum sufficient dose of diamphotoxin is 0.000025 mg/kg.
Antidote: none.




However, according to other scientists, the first place belongs to the box jellyfish (Cubozoa) or as it is also called - sea ​​wasp , the poison of which fatally affects skin cells, the nervous system and the heart. On account of this poisonous inhabitant depths of the sea Asia and Australia six thousand deaths in the last sixty years.
The reputation of the most poisonous creature of the box jellyfish is somewhat spoiled by the fact that the treatment of wounds from it acetic acid immediately after receiving them significantly increases the chances of survival.

IMHO, nevertheless, bacteria are the most scary killers

Botulinum toxin (botulinum toxin, botulinum toxin) is a protein neurotoxin produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. The strongest poison from known to science organic toxins and substances in general (see Wikipedia)

There are many in nature, and some of them can benefit people.
Toxins cause harm by interfering with vital processes. Some of them, such as , can be found in mineral form, but most are produced by living things. For example, plants, unable to avoid the many animals that might eat them, produce poisons to protect themselves. The animals themselves also scare away predators.
“On the one hand, poisons can be harmful, but on the other hand, they can be beneficial, for example, to people,” said Michael Novacek, first vice president of the American Museum of Natural History, during a recent thematic exhibition.

Poisons are good
The benefits of toxins most often lie in. For example, wintergreens produce salicylic acid, which is harmful in high concentrations. However, in low doses and in a modified form, this chemical becomes the active ingredient in aspirin.
The exhibition provides many examples of the beneficial aspect of poisons. Toxins from snakes, snails and fish are the basis for existing or being developed. In addition, researchers are studying 300 chemical substances, produced by funnel-web water spiders from Australia's Fraser Island, for use in drugs against breast cancer, and the Artemisia annua plant has already provided a treatment for it thanks to the poison artemisinin.
And the benefits of natural poisons are not limited to medical drugs. Many familiar substances, such as red pepper spice, tea, coffee, cinnamon, chocolate and nicotine, owe their pungent flavor or stimulant properties to the plants that evolved them. Chemical properties to scare away other animals that are ready to feast on them. Nicotine, found in tobacco and other plants, is a powerful neurotoxin that affects the nervous system, and theobromine, a chemical in chocolate that gives humans a brain jolt, has a much stronger effect on dogs, said Mark Siddall, the museum's vertebrate specialist.

“There is enough theobromine in a chocolate bar to seriously harm or even kill a Yorkie or even a Jack Russell terrier,” Siddall said, noting that the effects of the poison can vary depending on the organism that consumes it.
Evolution of poisons
The strongest poisons emerge as part of an evolutionary arms race, explained Mark Siddall. For example, possums can eat the most poisonous snakes thanks to resistance to snake venom. In response, the snakes increased its toxicity over generations to keep these marsupial predators at bay. At the same time, possums continue to develop resistance to even stronger poisons, the scientist says.
Another toxic war between bacteria and fungi has left humanity with mold penicillium to kill bacteria.
Siddall studies leeches and the evolution of the compounds they use to prevent . This poison can affect the blood inside the host, that is, the leech itself. Having sucked enough blood to increase the weight of its hungry body eightfold, the leech is forced to somehow prevent the food from coagulating so as not to turn into a hardened lump of organic matter.
Other organisms, such as snakes, have chemical weapons to attack blood components, in particular also preventing clotting. And although the goal may be the same, different organisms use different strategies. For example, leeches find a way to stop the coagulation mechanism. But one group of snakes produces compounds that cause this mechanism to work too actively, which also impairs its function.
“The most interesting thing about snakes and leeches, and indeed all poisonous organisms, is that they contain an amazing mixture of individual toxins,” the scientist emphasizes. “This is truly an extremely difficult moment, and we are gradually unraveling this tangle.”
Like many other poisons, some toxins from the blood of leeches can be used for benefit rather than harm. Hirudin, an anti-clotting substance produced in salivary glands Some leeches are used in medicine.

Poisons have been used from ancient times to the present day as weapons, antidotes, and even medicine.

In fact, poisons are all around us, in drinking water, in everyday objects and even our blood.

The word "poison" is used to describe any substance that can cause a dangerous disorder in the body.

Even in small quantities, the poison can lead to poisoning and death.

Here are some examples of some of the most insidious poisons that can be fatal to humans.

1. Botulinum toxin

Many poisons can be lethal in small doses, so it is quite difficult to single out the most dangerous one. However, many experts agree that botulinum toxin, which is used in Botox injections to smooth out wrinkles is the strongest.

Botulism is a serious disease leading to paralysis, caused by botulinum toxin, which is produced by bacteria Clostridium botulinum. This poison causes damage nervous system, respiratory arrest and death in terrible agony.

Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, double vision, facial weakness, speech impediments, difficulty swallowing and others. The bacterium can enter the body through food (usually poorly canned foods) and through open wounds.

2. Poison ricin

Ricin is natural poison obtained from castor beans castor bean plants. 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 and diarrhea (possibly bloody), low blood pressure, hallucinations and seizures. Death may occur within 36-72 hours.

3. Sarin gas

Sarin is one of the the most dangerous and deadly nerve gases, which is hundreds of times more toxic than cyanide. Sarin was originally produced as a pesticide, but the clear, odorless gas soon became a powerful chemical weapon.

A person can be poisoned by sarin gas by inhaling or exposing the gas to the eyes and skin. Initially, symptoms may appear such as runny nose and chest tightness, difficulty breathing and nausea.

Then the person loses control over all functions of his body and falls into a coma, convulsions and spasms occur until suffocation occurs.

4. Tetrodotoxin

This deadly poison found in the organs of fish of the genus pufferfish, from which the famous Japanese delicacy "fugu" is prepared. Tetrodotoxin persists in the skin, liver, intestines and other organs, even after the fish has been cooked.

This toxin causes paralysis, convulsions, mental disorder and other symptoms. Death occurs within 6 hours after ingestion of the poison.

Every year, several people are known to die painful deaths from tetrodotoxin poisoning after eating fugu.

5. Potassium cyanide

Potassium cyanide is one of the fastest deadly poisons, known to mankind. It may be in the form of crystals and colorless gas with a bitter almond odor. Cyanide can be found in some foods and plants. It is found in cigarettes and is used to make plastic, photographs, extract gold from ore, and kill unwanted insects.

Cyanide has been used since ancient times, and in modern world he was the way death penalty. Poisoning can occur through inhalation, ingestion and even touching, causing symptoms such as convulsions, respiratory failure and in severe cases death, which may occur in a few minutes. It kills by binding to iron in blood cells, making them unable to carry oxygen.

6. Mercury and mercury poisoning

There are three forms of mercury that can be potentially hazardous: elemental, inorganic and organic. Elemental mercury, which contained in mercury thermometers , old fillings and fluorescent lamps, non-toxic on contact, but may be fatal if inhaled.

Inhalation of mercury vapor (the metal quickly turns into gas when room temperature) affects the lungs and brain, turning off the central nervous system.

Inorganic mercury, which is used to make batteries, can be fatal if ingested and cause kidney damage and other symptoms. Organic mercury found in fish and seafood is usually hazardous over long-term exposure. Symptoms of poisoning may include memory loss, blindness, seizures and others.

7. Strychnine and strychnine poisoning

Strychnine is an odorless, white, bitter crystalline powder that can be acquired by ingestion, inhalation, solution, and intravenous injection.

They receive it from the seeds of the chilibuha tree(Strychnos nux-vomica), native to India and southeast Asia. Although it is often used as a pesticide, it can also be found in narcotic substances such as heroin and cocaine.

The degree of strychnine poisoning depends on the amount and route of entry into the body, but a small amount of this poison is enough to cause a serious condition. Symptoms of poisoning include muscle spasms, respiratory failure and even lead to brain death 30 minutes after exposure.

8. Arsenic and arsenic poisoning

Arsenic, which is the 33rd element in the periodic table, has been synonymous with poison since ancient times. It was often used as a poison of choice in political assassinations, as Arsenic poisoning resembled cholera symptoms.

Arsenic is considered a heavy metal with properties similar to those of lead and mercury. In high concentrations it can lead to symptoms of poisoning such as abdominal pain, seizures, coma and death. In small amounts, it can contribute to a number of diseases, including cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

9. Poison curare

Curare is a mixture of various South American plants that were used for poison arrows. Curare has been used for medicinal purposes in a highly diluted form. The main poison is an alkaloid, which causes paralysis and death, as well as strychnine and hemlock. However, after paralysis occurs respiratory system, the heart can continue to beat.

Death from curare is slow and painful, as the victim remains conscious but cannot move or speak. However, if artificial respiration is applied before the poison settles, the person can be saved. Amazon tribes used curare to hunt animals, but the poisoned animal meat was not dangerous to those who consumed it.

10. Batrachotoxin

Fortunately, the chances of encountering this poison are very small. Batrachotoxin, found in the skin of tiny dart frogs, is one of the most powerful neurotoxins in the world.

Frogs themselves do not produce poison; it is accumulated from the foods they consume, mainly small bugs. The most dangerous content poison was discovered in a species of frog terrible leaf climber , living in Colombia.

One specimen contains enough batrachotoxin to kill two dozen people or several elephants. I affects nerves, especially around the heart, makes breathing difficult and quickly leads to death.

Any type of poison is dangerous for humans: chemical, food or natural. There are hundreds of poisons that lead to death, and they are used for the purpose of murder, during war or terrorist acts, as a means of genocide against other peoples. Regardless of whether it is a natural poison or obtained in a laboratory through chemical synthesis, it can kill a person, and most often it is painful.

The most dangerous poisons

Since ancient times, poisons have served as killing weapons, antidotes, and, in small doses, medicine. We are surrounded by toxic substances: they are in the blood, household items, and drinking water. Even medicine taken not according to instructions or without a doctor's prescription can become poisonous. It causes irreversible changes in the body, which leads to poisoning and death.

Here are the most dangerous and deadly poisons:

1. Cyanide. Acts on the nervous and cardiac systems. It blocks the flow of oxygen to cells, paralyzing blood flow. Death occurs very quickly, in one minute. The most deadly cyanide poison is considered to be hydrogen (hydrocyanic acid with the smell of bitter almonds). It was used as chemical weapons during the wars, its use was subsequently discontinued. Today they are used as the most quick way murder or suicide.
2. Sarin. Classified as a weapon mass destruction, used during wars or terrorist attacks. It is a nerve gas that causes asphyxiation. Sarin can kill a person quickly; it will take an excruciating 60 seconds.
3. Mercury. This is a toxic liquid metal found in home thermometers. Even if it gets on the skin, mercury causes irritation. The most dangerous is inhaling its vapors. The person experiences blurred vision, memory loss, possible changes in the brain and kidney failure. The result is damage to the central nervous system and inhalation significant amount vapors, death occurs.
4. Vi-Ex (VX). Nerve gas is considered a weapon of mass destruction around the world. Previously it was used as a pesticide. Contact of just a drop on the skin can cause death. More often it affects the respiratory system (inhalation). Signs of poisoning are similar to the flu, possible respiratory failure and paralysis.
5. Arsenic. For a long time, the words: arsenic and poison were inseparable. Murders associated with him political purposes, since the symptoms of poisoning are similar to those of cholera. The properties of this metal are similar to mercury and lead. The disease manifests itself in the form of abdominal pain, seizures, coma and death. In small concentrations it causes diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

For a long time active poisons lead to death not immediately, but after a long period of time. They are convenient to use, since it is difficult to suspect the death of a person who used this poison to kill for his own purposes.

An interesting fact from history. At one of the feasts, the Pontic king Mithridates was poisoned. The son, who sat on the throne, began to take small doses of poisons from his youth so that the body would gradually get used to them. When in fact he wanted to take his own life with poison, it did not work. He asked the guard to kill him with a sword.

Poisons of natural origin

Since ancient times, man has used natural poisons for hunting, war or food. Swords and arrows were stuffed with poison from snakes, insects or plant poisons. African tribes used substances that acted on the heart, in America they more often used paralyzing substances, and in Asia they used compounds that caused suffocation.

Some of the most poisonous inhabitants of the sea are gastropods family of cones. They shoot their prey with their harpoon-like teeth. Some release a mixture of toxins into the water, rendering the victim immobile. Toxins are similar in composition to the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar levels. When the fish receives hypoglycemic shock, it stops moving.

It is impossible to list all toxic substances; they are found in nature great amount. Let's name just a few poisons that are deadly to humans:

1. Tetrodotoxin. A poison of natural origin, isolated from puffer fish. This is poison for humans, because specially trained chefs can cook fish correctly. Its meat is a Japanese delicacy. If prepared incorrectly, it becomes paralyzed oral cavity, the swallowing process is disrupted, problems with speech and coordination of movement arise. Death occurs 6 hours after prolonged convulsions.
2. Botulism toxin. It is one of the deadliest poisons on earth. A test tube with botulinum toxin can destroy many people, affecting the central nervous system. The mortality rate is 50%; the rest experience complications that require long-term recovery. It is volatile and easily accessible, and therefore dangerous. Although it is used as an injection for cosmetic purposes, as well as in the treatment of migraines.
3. Strychnine. Refers to poisons natural origin, found in a number of Asian trees. It can also be produced artificially. Usually used to poison small animals. Its action causes muscle contraction, nausea, convulsions, and suffocation. Death comes in half an hour.
4. Anthrax. This is a disease caused by bacteria anthrax. The poison spreads through spores released into the air. Inhaling them is enough to become infected. There was a sensational story when anthrax spores were spread in letters. Panic arose, for which there were serious reasons. Once infected, a person experiences a cold, then breathing becomes impaired and stops. The deadly bacteria kills in 90% of cases within a week.
5. Amatoxin. Poison isolated from poisonous mushrooms. Once in the bloodstream, it affects the liver and kidneys. The person falls into a coma and dies from kidney or liver failure as the cells in these organs die within a few days. Amatoxin can also affect cardiac activity. The antidote is penicillin, which must be taken in fairly large doses.
6. Ricin. It is obtained from the castor beans of the castor bean plant. It has a lethal effect because it blocks the formation of protein in the body. Capable of killing when inhaled, therefore it is very convenient for sending in a letter, such cases have occurred. One pinch is enough to kill an entire organism. I use it in wars as a chemical weapon.

In the USA, there are grasshopper hamsters that love to hunt poisonous scorpions. Rodents have special cells, and after a bite they do not feel pain at all. Most likely, this ability arose due to a mutation that made scorpions a food source for hamsters.

How to determine a lethal dose of poison

To predict poisoning, you need to know the lethal dose of each poison. There is a table of lethal doses for each substance, but it is very arbitrary, since every organism is individual. For some, this dose will be truly fatal, while others will survive with serious complications. Therefore, the dose numbers are approximate.

You should not try unknown berries in the forest or chew the leaves of a plant that is unfamiliar to you. This can be dangerous, as nature is rich in toxic compounds.

The effect of the poison can be affected by:

• presence of individual characteristics;
• pathology of organs or their functions, which reduces the body’s resistance to the action of a toxic substance;
• vomiting, which can reduce the amount of poison ingested;
• endurance of the body as a result of physical activity.

If you feel signs of poisoning, call immediately ambulance. And in the case where the poisonous substance is known, it is possible to use antidotes that will reduce the effects of the poison and save from death. Be vigilant and take care of yourself!

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 strong poisons sometimes they are close to us, and we don’t even suspect it.

Dangerous poisons

- Methanol, or methyl alcohol is 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 they are made on the basis of methyl alcohol, but without an examination it is impossible to determine the presence of methanol. Unfortunately, the consequences of consuming such drinks are irreversible, best case scenario the person goes 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 poison. There are more than two and a half thousand species of reptiles, but only about 250 species are poisonous. The most famous - common vipers, cobras, rattlesnakes, black mambas, 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 species of snakes its own antitoxin is created - for king cobra- one, for vipers - the other, for rattlesnakes- 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, exactly potassium cyanide they tried to poison Grigory Rasputin, but failed because they added 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, death cap, 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 agarics when they 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, take the seeds of the chilibuha tree, whose homeland is Southeast Asia and India.

But the most famous poison is, of course, arsenic, it can be called " 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 papal or royal. This is the favorite poison of the 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. The source of botulism infection is homemade preparations

Among 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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