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Alexei Navalny, one of the leaders of the anti-Kremlin opposition in Our Country, is currently hospitalized in a hospital in Omsk. He was there in serious condition due to poisoning. Not much information about Navalny’s health gets into the media. It is also not known what substance he was poisoned. “It’s hard to speculate when we have so little data,” explains the toxicologist Eryk Matuszkiewicz.
- «It is difficult to say with what substance Navalny could have been poisoned. We have too little data »explains the toxicologist Eryk Matuszkiewicz
- Administering the toxin in a drink is one of the most effective ways. Some of the toxins do not affect the taste, smell or color of the drink, so they are practically undetectable
- In the case of poisoning with an unknown substance, the prognosis for survival and recovery is poor
This morning there was information in the media that the plane on which Alexei Navalny traveled from Tomsk to Moscow had accidentally landed in Omsk. Navalny felt unwell on board the plane and needed urgent hospitalization. A spokeswoman for Navalny, Kira Jarmysz, informed that he had been poisoned and that the poisoning could have been caused by a toxic substance added to the tea.
– It is very difficult to say at this stage what substance Navalny could have been poisoned. We do not know how long it was from the potential ingestion of the toxic substance to the onset of symptoms and what the symptoms were. Depending on the substance used, there could be e.g. loss of consciousness, slower heart rate and respiration. Toxic substances work in various ways – explains toxicologist Eryk Matuszkiewicz in an interview with Medonet.
The expert also adds that among the toxic substances we distinguish between poisons and toxins. The former are of synthetic origin, produced in a laboratory, while toxins are substances that occur naturally in nature. The action of toxins and poisons is similar.
See: Alexei Navalny poisoned with toxins. A recording from the board of the plane appeared on the network
The toxin in tea
According to the data provided by the spokeswoman for Navalny, the poisoning could have been caused by a toxic substance added to the tea. According to her knowledge, he only drank tea before departure.
– If we look at the pages of history, the most common way of administering poison is by the oral route, i.e. in a drink or a meal. We dissolve the poison in a liquid, e.g. in tea. It is important that the liquid is not too hot, because then the toxin can be inactivated, and besides, it is rare for someone to drink a very hot drink – explains Matuszkiewicz and adds: – toxic substances are rarely administered by inhalation, using gaseous toxic substances. Some of them have a specific smell, irritating effect, so they are easy to detect. The third route of administration is intravenous administration of the toxin, but it also requires more precise action and it is impossible to overlook such an attempt of poisoning.
Our expert also points out that some toxic substances do not change the taste, smell and color of the liquid, so it is impossible to suspect that something may threaten us.
See: Alexei Navalny poisoned with toxins He is in serious condition connected to a respirator
Poisoning is a life and death struggle
Management of poisoning and suspected treatment is symptomatic.
– To put it mildly – we act like a firefighter. We react to symptoms on a regular basis. If the patient has, for example, low blood pressure, we try to raise it with drugs. If the patient has breathing problems, as in the case of Navalny, we replace this breath with a ventilator. We have to act quickly, but we correct these actions depending on the results of the research, which are provided on a regular basis, explains Matuszkiewicz.
The expert also adds that in the event of poisoning with an unknown toxic substance, the chances of the patient’s survival are low.
– We do not know what we are dealing with and whether, for example, we should not start any methods at the very beginning. This could be an antidote or an antidote. If we delay taking these actions because we do not know that the person has been poisoned with a specific substance, the condition worsens. The problem also arises when the patient is brought to the hospital in a serious condition. If the patient’s condition does not improve in the next few days after admission, unfortunately we can talk about a poor prognosis for the patient’s survival and recovery – explains the expert.
According to the data provided by the spokeswoman for Navalny, he is still connected to the ventilator and his condition is assessed as “heavy” but “stable”. On Twitter, Jarmysz also wrote that there are no research results yet.
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