Cyanide
Poisoning
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| You would have to eat a lot of apples with their seeds at one time to suffer cyanide poisoning. |
How Does Cyanide Kill?
Chemistry of Cyanide Poisoning
How Cyanide
Works and How Poisoning Is Treated
Murder mysteries and spy
novels often feature cyanide as a fast-acting poison, but you can be exposed to
this toxin from everyday chemicals and even common foods.
Have you ever wondered how
cyanide poisons and kills people, how much it takes before it's toxic, and
whether there is a cure?
Here's what you need to know.
WHAT IS
CYANIDE?
The term "cyanide" refers to any chemical containing a
carbon-nitrogen (CN) bond.
Many substances contain cyanide, but not all of them are deadly
poisons.
Sodium
cyanide (NaCN), potassium cyanide (KCN), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), and cyanogen
chloride (CNCl) are lethal, but thousands of compounds called nitriles contain
the cyanide group yet aren't as toxic.
In
fact, you can find cyanide in nitriles used as pharmaceuticals, such
as citalopram (celexa) and cimetidine (Tagamet).
Nitriles
aren't as dangerous because they don't readily release the CN- ion, which is the group that acts
as a metabolic poison.
HOW
CYANIDE POISONS
In a
nutshell, cyanide prevents cells from using oxygen to make energy
molecules.
The
cyanide ion, CN-, binds to the iron
atom in cytochrome C oxidase in the mitochondria of cells.
It acts as an irreversible
enzyme inhibitor, preventing cytochrome C oxidase from doing its job,
which is to transport electrons to oxygen in the electron transport chain
of aerobic cellular respiration.
Without the ability to use oxygen, mitochondria can't produce
the energy carrier adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
Tissues
that require this form of energy, such as heart muscle cells and nerve cells,
quickly expend all their energy and start to die.
When
a large enough number of critical cells die, you die.
EXPOSURE
TO CYANIDE
Cyanide can be used as a poison or chemical warfare agent, but
most people are exposed to it unintentionally.
Some ways to be exposed to
cyanide include:
· eating cassava, lima beans, yucca, bamboo shoots,
sorghum, or almonds
· eating apple seeds, cherry stones, apricot pits, or peach pits
· smoking cigarettes
· burning plastic
· burning coal
· inhaling smoke from a house fire
· ingesting acetonitrile-based products are used to remove
artificial nails
· drinking water, eating food, touching soil, or inhaling air that
has been contaminated
· exposure to rodenticide or other cyanide-containing pesticide
Cyanide
in fruits and vegetables is in the form of cyanogenic glycosides
(cyanoglycosides).
Sugars attach to these
compounds through the process of glycosylation, forming free hydrogen cyanide.
Many
industrial processes involve compounds that contain cyanide or can react with
water or air to produce it.
Paper, textile,
photochemical, plastics, mining, and metallurgy industries all may deal with
cyanide.
Some people report an odor of
bitter almonds associated with cyanide, but not all toxic compounds produce the
scent and not all people can smell it.
Cyanide gas is less dense
than air, so it will rise.
SYMPTOMS
OF CYANIDE POISONING
Inhaling a high dose of cyanide gas rapidly causes
unconsciousness and often death.
Lower doses may be
survivable, especially if immediate aid is provided.
The symptoms of cyanide
poisoning are similar to those displayed by other conditions or exposure to any
of a number of chemicals, so don't assume cyanide is the cause.
Do remove yourself from the
cause of exposure and seek immediate medical attention!
Immediate Symptoms
· headache
· dizziness
· weakness
· confusion
· fatigue
· lack of coordination
Symptoms from Larger
Doses or Longer Exposure
· low blood pressure
· unconsciousness
· convulsions
· slow heart rate
· lung damage
· respiratory failure
· coma
Death
from poisoning usually results from respiratory failure or heart failure.
A person exposed to cyanide
may have cherry-red skin from high oxygen levels or a dark or blue coloring,
from Prussian blue (iron binding to the cyanide ion).
Also, skin and body fluids may give off an odor of almonds.
HOW MUCH
CYANIDE IS LETHAL?
How much cyanide is too much depends on the route of exposure,
the dose, and duration of exposure.
Inhaled cyanide presents a
greater risk than ingested cyanide.
Skin contact is not as much
of a concern (unless it has been mixed with DMSO), except touching the compound
could lead to accidentally swallowing some of it.
As a rough estimate, since
lethal dose depends on the exact compound and several other factors, about half
a gram of ingested cyanide will kill a 160-lb adult.
Unconsciousness,
followed by death, could occur within several seconds of inhaling a high dose
of cyanide, but lower doses and ingested cyanide may allow a few hours to a
couple of days for treatment.
Emergency medical attention
is critical.
IS THERE
A TREATMENT FOR CYANIDE POISONING?
Because it's a relatively common toxin in the environment, the
body can detoxify a small amount of cyanide.
For example, you can eat the
seeds of an apple or withstand cyanide from cigarette smoke without dying.
When
cyanide is used as a poison or a chemical weapon, treatment depends on the
dose.
A high dose of inhaled
cyanide is lethal too quickly for any treatment to take effect.
Initial first aid for inhaled
cyanide is getting the victim to fresh air.
Ingested cyanide or lower
doses of inhaled cyanide may be countered by administering antidotes that
detoxify cyanide or bind to it.
For example, natural vitamin
B12, hydroxocobalamin, reacts with cyanide to form cyanocobalamin,
which is excreted in urine.
Inhalation
of amyl nitrite may aid breathing in victims of cyanide and also carbon
monoxide poisoning, although few first aid kits contain these ampules anymore.
Depending
on the conditions, complete recovery may be possible, although paralysis, liver
damage, kidney damage, and hypothyroidism are possible.
ANNE MARIE HELMENSTINE, PH.D. is an
author and consultant with a broad scientific and medical background.
EXPERIENCE
Anne
has taught chemistry, biology, and physics at the high school, college, and
graduate level. In her doctoral work, Anne developed ultra-sensitive chemical
detection and medical diagnostic tests. She has worked abstracting/indexing
diverse scientific literature for the Department of Energy. She presently works
as a freelance writer and scientific consultant. She enjoys adapting lab-based
science projects so that they can be performed safely at home.
EDUCATION
Dr.
Helmenstine has bachelor of arts degrees in physics and mathematics with a
minor in chemistry from Hastings College in Nebraska and a doctorate of
philosophy in biomedical sciences from the University of Tennessee at
Knoxville.
Chemistry
is part of everyone's life, from cooking and cleaning to the latest computer
chip technology and vaccine development. It doesn't have to be intimidating and
it doesn't have to be hard to understand.
You can
read more about Anne's current and past work on her Google Profile: Anne Helmenstine.
Find Anne's printable periodic tables and science projects at Science Notes.
https://www.thoughtco.com/overview-of-cyanide-poison-609287
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