Poisoning is the harmful effect which occurs when

toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...

substances are introduced into the body. The term "poisoning" is a derivative of

poison A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...

, a term describing any chemical substance that may harm or kill a living organism upon

ingestion Ingestion is the consumption of a substance by an organism. In animals, it normally is accomplished by taking in a substance through the mouth into the gastrointestinal tract, such as through eating or drinking. In single-celled organisms, inge ...

. Poisoning can be brought on by swallowing, inhaling, injecting or absorbing toxins through the skin.

Toxicology Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating ex ...

is the practice and study of symptoms, mechanisms, diagnoses, and treatments correlated to poisoning.

Levels of Exposure

When a living organism is introduced to a poison, the

symptoms Signs and symptoms are diagnostic indications of an illness, injury, or condition. Signs are objective and externally observable; symptoms are a person's reported subjective experiences. A sign for example may be a higher or lower temperature ...

that follow successful contact develop in close relation to the degree of exposure.

Acute exposure

Acute toxicity/poisoning consists of a living organism being harmfully exposed to

once or more times during a brief period, with symptoms manifesting within 14 days since administration.

Chronic exposure

Chronic toxicity/poisoning involves a living organism being exposed to a toxin on multiple instances over an extended period of time, whereas the symptoms either develop gradually or after a protracted latent period. Chronic poisoning most commonly occurs following exposure to poisons that bioaccumulate, or are biomagnified, such as mercury,

gadolinium Gadolinium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Gd and atomic number 64. It is a silvery-white metal when oxidation is removed. Gadolinium is a malleable and ductile rare-earth element. It reacts with atmospheric oxygen or moi ...

, and

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

Methods of Poisoning

Accidental poisoning

In 2020, America's Poison Centers' NPDS (National Poison Data System) report determined that 76.9% of recorded toxin exposures were accidental, with the rest of the statistics either being deliberate or unexpected. A large portion of these accidental incidents occurred due to mistakenly taking the incorrect medicine, or doubling one's dose by mistake.

Industry and Warfare

Nerve gases are synthetic substances used in industry or

warfare War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of State (polity), states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or betwe ...

that are specifically engineered to bring harm to living organisms. They may paralyze a person in a matter of seconds or cease organ function, quickly resulting in

death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

.They're considered to be biologically derived

neurotoxins Neurotoxins are toxins that are destructive to nerve tissue (causing neurotoxicity). Neurotoxins are an extensive class of exogenous chemical neurological insultsSpencer 2000 that can adversely affect function in both developing and mature n ...

, which are a genre of toxic agents that act specifically against the nervous system. Inhaled or ingested

cyanide In chemistry, cyanide () is an inorganic chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Ionic cyanides contain the cyanide anion . This a ...

(or Zyklon B) was used as a method of

execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in ...

gas chambers A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. Poisonous agents used include hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide. History Gener ...

. This method of poisoning instantly starved the body of energy by inhibiting the

enzymes An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as pro ...

mitochondria A mitochondrion () is an organelle found in the cells of most eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and fungi. Mitochondria have a double membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is us ...

that produce ATP.

Intravenous injection Intravenous therapy (abbreviated as IV therapy) is a medical technique that administers fluids, medications and nutrients directly into a person's vein. The intravenous route of administration is commonly used for rehydration or to provide nutr ...

of an unnaturally high concentration of

potassium chloride Potassium chloride (KCl, or potassium salt) is a metal halide salt composed of potassium and chlorine. It is odorless and has a white or colorless vitreous crystal appearance. The solid dissolves readily in water, and its solutions have a sa ...

, such as in the execution of prisoners in parts of the United States, quickly stops the

heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...

by eliminating the cell potential necessary for

muscle contraction Muscle contraction is the activation of Tension (physics), tension-generating sites within muscle cells. In physiology, muscle contraction does not necessarily mean muscle shortening because muscle tension can be produced without changes in musc ...

Pesticide exposure

Most biocides, including

pesticides Pesticides are substances that are used to pest control, control pest (organism), pests. They include herbicides, insecticides, nematicides, fungicides, and many others (see table). The most common of these are herbicides, which account for a ...

, are created to act as poisons to target organisms. Although acute or less observable chronic poisoning can also occur in non-target organisms ( secondary poisoning), including the

humans Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

who apply the biocides and other beneficial organisms. For example, the herbicide

2,4-D 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is usually referred to by its ISO common name 2,4-D. It is a systemic herbicide that kills most broadleaf weeds by causing uncontrolled growth, but most gra ...

imitates the action of a plant hormone, which makes its lethal toxicity specific to plants. Indeed, 2,4-D is not a poison, but is classified as harmful.

Toxication

Many substances regarded as poisons are toxic only indirectly through

toxication Toxication, toxification or toxicity exaltation is the conversion of a chemical compound into a more toxic form in living organisms or in substrates such as soil or water. The conversion can be caused by enzyme, enzymatic metabolism in the organism ...

. An example is "wood alcohol" or

methanol Methanol (also called methyl alcohol and wood spirit, amongst other names) is an organic chemical compound and the simplest aliphatic Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with the chemical formula (a methyl group linked to a hydroxyl group, often ab ...

, which is not poisonous itself but is chemically converted to toxic

formaldehyde Formaldehyde ( , ) (systematic name methanal) is an organic compound with the chemical formula and structure , more precisely . The compound is a pungent, colourless gas that polymerises spontaneously into paraformaldehyde. It is stored as ...

and

formic acid Formic acid (), systematically named methanoic acid, is the simplest carboxylic acid. It has the chemical formula HCOOH and structure . This acid is an important intermediate in chemical synthesis and occurs naturally, most notably in some an ...

once it reaches the

liver The liver is a major metabolic organ (anatomy), organ exclusively found in vertebrates, which performs many essential biological Function (biology), functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of var ...

. Many

drug A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via insufflation (medicine), inhalation, drug i ...

molecules are made toxic in the liver, and the genetic variability of certain liver

makes the toxicity of many compounds differ between people.

Precautionary measures

As mandated in GHS, various safety-orientated

government agencies A government agency or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government (bureaucracy) that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, ...

from around the globe have put into place the usage of

pictograms A pictogram (also pictogramme, pictograph, or simply picto) is a graphical symbol that conveys meaning through its visual resemblance to a physical object. Pictograms are used in systems of writing and visual communication. A pictography is a wri ...

when labelling toxic substances. The

hazard symbol Hazard symbols are universally recognized Symbol, symbols designed to alert individuals to the presence of Hazard, hazardous or dangerous materials, locations, or conditions. These include risks associated with Electromagnetic field, electromag ...

which labels a substance as capable of poisoning depicts the imagery of a

human skull The skull, or cranium, is typically a bony enclosure around the brain of a vertebrate. In some fish, and amphibians, the skull is of cartilage. The skull is at the head end of the vertebrate. In the human, the skull comprises two prominen ...

in front of two bones crossing one another. GHS precautionary statements, which advise users to exercise caution or be aware of the substance's potentially dangerous features, are added to a legal toxins' labelling. Toxic substances can also come with instructions on how to handle the product, what compounds to avoid mixing the product with, and how to treat a victim at risk of poisoning who has come in contact with the product. Various poison control centers are also available to assist in diagnosing, managing, and preventing possible incidents of poisoning. Many are accessible through phone calls or official websites.

Treatment

Seeking medical attention is strongly advised if someone is thought to have been exposed to or consumed a poison, mainly from a nearby poison control centre. It is advised to provide medical personnel with information regarding the poisoning, the patient's age, weight, and any other drugs they may be taking in addition to the symptoms of the illness. Try to determine what was ingested, the amount and how long since the person was exposed to it. If possible, have on hand the pill bottle, medication package or other suspect container. The treatment will depend on the substance to which the patient is exposed. Depending on the type of poisoning, some first aid measures may help. Treatments include activated charcoal, induction of vomiting and dilution or neutralizing of the poison.

References

External links

{{Authority control Toxicology Poisons Killings by type