Symptoms vary widely depending on the type and amount of substance involved, the route of exposure, and the age, weight, and medical condition of the victim. One hundred milligrams (mg) of moist, crushed apricot seeds can produce 217 mg of cyanide. Apricots, cherries, peaches, and apples all produce healthful fruit, but their seeds contain a form of cyanide that can kill a child if chewed in sufficient quantities. Rhubarb stalks are good to eat, but the leaves are poisonous. The leaves of tomatoes are poisonous, while the fruit is not. For example, the fleshy stem (tuber) of the potato plant is nutritious however, its roots, sprouts, and vines are poisonous. Moreover, some plants are confusing because portions of them are eaten as food while other parts are poisonous. The bulb of the hyacinth and daffodil are toxic, but the flowers are not while the flowers of the jasmine plant are the poisonous part.
In other plants, only certain parts are poisonous. Some plants, such as the yew shrub, are almost entirely toxic: needles, bark, seeds, and berries. There is no way to tell by looking at a plant if it is poisonous.
Plants are second only to medicines in causing serious poisoning in children under age five. There are more than 700 species of poisonous plants in the United States. Yet another group, including cocaine, ergot, strychnine, and some snake venoms, causes potentially fatal seizures. Another group of poisons interferes with the electrochemical impulses that travel between neurons in the nervous system. Cyanide interferes with respiration at the cellular level. Certain corrosive vapors trigger the body to flood the lungs with fluids, effectively drowning the person. Carbon monoxide causes death by binding with hemoglobin that would normally transport oxygen throughout the body. Some poisons directly affect the respiratory and circulatory system. ether and chloroform), opiates (e.g., morphine and codeine), and barbiturates. Potential poisons in this category include anesthetics (e.g. A poison may severely depress the central nervous system, leading to coma and eventual respiratory and circulatory failure. Others destroy the liver or kidneys, such as heavy metals and some pain relief medications, including acetaminophen (Tylenol) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Advil, Ibuprofen). Some poisons interfere with the metabolism. The effects of poisons are as varied as the poisons themselves however, the exact mechanisms of only a few are understood.
0 kommentar(er)
