A List of Deadly Poisons

Have you ever wondered what those deadly poisons you sometimes hear about on the news actually do to the human body? I saw a short news piece on TV about Anthrax and it got me thinking. It would probably be time well spent to learn a little about it and some other toxins. The following is a list of some of the deadliest poisons known to man.

1) Botulinum. Even the name scares me. I remember an old story I heard when I was a kid about someone getting infected by botulism from an old can of tuna. I haven’t eaten canned tuna since. Experts say that Botulinum is THE most deadly poison known to man. When contracted, the nervous system completely shuts down and you die in excruciating pain.

2) Anthrax. Touching Anthrax to your skin can infect you. However, the scariest and most deadly form of Anthrax is inhaled. Once inhaled, you experience cold or flu-like symptoms that don’t go away for several days. This is followed by complete respiratory collapse.

3) Ricin. This toxin is made from the castor bean. Twice as deadly as cobra venom, two-tenths of a milligram is a lethal dose. At one point, the U.S. Army considered using ricin as a chemical weapon. In 1978, the Bulgarian secret police secretly followed a well-known dissident and radical author and shot him in the leg with a pellet containing the deadly poison ricin. The weapon they used to fire the pellet was a modified umbrella.

4) Sarin. Sarin is an extremely deadly nerve gas. Initial symptoms are a runny nose and tightness in the chest. Breathing soon becomes constricted and nausea sets in. Next, you lose control of all your bodily functions and quickly become comatose. At that point, your body convulses and spasms while you suffocate. Scary, huh? This deadly poison was put on the UN’s Weapon’s of Mass Destruction list in 1993.

5) Cyanide. Considered the “movie star” of deadly poisons due to its prevalence in crime fiction and movies, this very deadly poison (and effective plot device) is produced from certain bacteria, fungus, and plants. Exposure by inhalation or ingestion leads to seizures, cardiac arrest, and ultimately death.

6) Strychnine. This creepy poison is a common pesticide and one of the bitterest substances known to man. Minutes after exposure, the head and neck muscles begin to spasm. The spasms soon spread to every muscle in the body-and don’t stop. Death occurs through total exhaustion of the body from the intense convulsions or from asphyxiation. Stay away from this one.

7) Amatoxin. A deadly poison extracted from certain types of mushrooms, amatoxin attacks your helpless liver and kidneys. This last for a few days. You then fall into a coma from which you never wake up.

8) Poison Hemlock. This poisonous plant is lower on the scale of deadly poisons than others on this list, but it is included for its historical value. Hemlock was used in Ancient Greece to put prisoners to death. The most famous victim of the poison was Socrates, the father of Western philosophy. The operating chemical in Hemlock is coniine, a neurotoxin whose symptoms include paralysis. Supposedly, Socrates’ eyes stayed open as his life slipped from him.

Well, that is my deadly poison list. I hope that you never come into contact with any of these lethal substances. But if you do, call 911 immediately (if you are able to) or scream at the top of your lungs for help.