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Contrary to appearances, poison is not a weapon of women. The pages of history teach that it is also often used by strong men. Contrary to appearances, it was not arsenic that killed Napoleon, polonium was used to poison a KGB agent, and even Hitler was afraid to use sarin gas. These are the substances that are the strongest poisons for humans.
- Among the most dangerous toxins for humans are, among others botulinum toxin, arsenic and polonium
- One of the worst weapons invented by man is the VX
- Hydrogen cyanide was used in the gas chambers of the concentration camps
- Respond before it’s too late. Get to know your Health Index!
- You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page
Botulinum toxin
Discovered in 1735, botulinum toxin not only smoothes wrinkles, heals hyperhidrosis, bruxism and strabismus. Breaking popularity records in aesthetic medicine clinics, sausage venom also has a second face … It is the strongest known poison, considered to be a biological weapon. The lethal dose depends on the route of administration.
When administered intravenously, about 2 nanograms of the toxin per kilogram of body weight is enough to cause death. When inhaled, it will lead to death by 13 nanograms, and when taken orally – one microgram. Botulinum poisoning is very serious and symptoms usually appear 18-36 hours after eating food containing the toxin.
Common symptoms include double vision, dry mouth due to impaired saliva production, paralysis of bowel movements, speech and swallowing disorders, and paralysis of the respiratory muscles, which can be fatal.
Arsenic
Arsenic, or arsenic trioxide, is called “the queen of poisons” for a reason. In the past it was used to perform abortions, at the turn of the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries with a solution of arsenic and potassium bicarbonate, the so-called Fowler’s solution was used to treat skin diseases, and today it is used as an anti-cancer drug in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia. It has no taste or smell, it dissolves poorly in water, but very well in hydrochloric acid, which is in gastric juice.
It is very toxic – with a sufficiently high dose, death occurs within a few hours. The toxic dose of arsenic is about 10-50 mg, and the lethal dose is 70-200 mg. Poisoning can also occur through the skin and respiratory system. Much of the compound is deposited in bones, muscles, skin, hair, and nails.
Contrary to earlier assumptions, it was advanced stomach cancer, not arsenic, that killed Napoleon.
VX
It is one of the worst man-made weapons, formally classified by the United Nations as weapons of mass destruction. An average person can be killed by a dose of 200 micrograms! It has no smell or taste, and the consistency is similar to car oil. It can be distributed as a liquid or vapor. It acts as a paralytic / convulsive agent – the victim’s muscles contract, he cannot breathe, and he dies in terrible torment of suffocation.
It was with the help of VX in a crowded airport that the brother of North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong Nam was killed.
In the event of exposure to a lethal agent, the immediate administration of an antidote, which may be atropine or pralidoxime, is required. The production technology developed by the British in 1952 was mastered by only a few countries: the United States, France, Our Country and Syria. North Korea is also suspected of having VX stocks.
Polonium
Discovered in 1898 by Maria Skłodowska-Curie, who gave it its name to part of Poland. It is a highly radioactive and chemically highly toxic element. The most common isotope polonium-210 emits the so-called alpha radiation, that is, charged particles.
When used as a poison, it is virtually undetectable – tightly packaged may go unnoticed even by nuclear radiation-sensitive scanners installed at airports and border crossings. If it gets inside the body, it causes terrible havoc. Alpha particles destroy nearby cells by damaging their proteins and DNA.
Among the victims of polonium poisoning was a KGB colonel – Alexander Litvinenko. There are suspicions that Yasir Arafat was also poisoned with polonium.
Sarin
It is a gas that Hitler himself was afraid to use. Contact with a small amount of poison causes death in just a few minutes by paralysis of the respiratory muscles and the heart muscle. The first signs of its presence in the body can be seen after 10 seconds, when the victim begins to water and have difficulty breathing.
Sarin was obtained in 1939 in Germany by Gerhard Schrader and his associates while searching for new insecticides for the German chemical company IG Farben.
The Nazis, however, chose not to use lethal weapons during World War II. For the first time, gas was used by terrorists – the Japanese “Supreme Truth” sect – on March 20, 1995, 12 people were killed in the tunnels of the Tokyo metro and 5000 were severely injured. Many of them still suffer from illnesses caused by the action of the poisonous substance.
Note: There is no antidote for gas.
Hydrogen cyanide (HCN)
It is a colorless, volatile and highly poisonous liquid (the lethal dose for a person weighing 60 kg is approx. 50-60 mg) with the smell of bitter almonds. Easily mixes with water and alcohols. It burns with a blue flame in the air. Today it is mainly used for disinfection and deratization, but as a lethal poison it has a long history.
Already in ancient times, Egyptian priests used hydrogen cyanide to carry out death sentences, during World War I attempts to create a toxic warfare agent from HCN were unsuccessful, and during World War II it became a tool of mass extermination. The so-called Zyklon B used in the gas chambers of the German concentration camps killed over a million people, of which around 900. they were Jews! Only in Birkenau in the years 1942-1945 as many as 24 tons of Zyklon B were used.
The death in the gas chamber was terrifying and lasted from 20 to 30 minutes. The victim was choking, tearing, dizzy, anxious, vomited, and her internal organs were bleeding. The last sight the dying saw was the stained bodies of other victims.
Fentanyl
Why is the anesthetic included in our list? Fentanyl is an extremely dangerous drug – a hundred times more potent than morphine and addictive much faster than heroin.
It works expressly – two minutes after intravenous injection and 30-60 minutes after oral ingestion. In the first case, the euphoria effect and complete pain blockade last for about 20-30 minutes, in the second case, intoxication lasts up to six hours. At higher doses it causes “mental abnormalities” and leads to death by asphyxiation. There are suspicions that fentanyl and its possible derivatives are being used by Spetsnaz special forces.
Indians for centuries have used European Dreams for problems with blood and circulation. They believed that this plant was effective in detoxifying the body. At Medonet Market you will find the Rubia proFemina SOLHERBS dietary supplement, which contains vitamin B6, folic acid and the extract of European madder.
According to news agencies, the authorities confirmed their use in 2002 in the hostage rescue operation in the Moscow theater in Dubrovka. Over 100 people died during the operation itself, and several dozen died after its completion.
Find out more:
- Beautiful but deadly. These are the world’s most poisonous plants
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- Favorite stimulants of Poles. What do we poison ourselves with the most?