Visible symptoms of arsenic poisoning following exposure.
Poisoning is the harmful effect which occurs when toxic substances are introduced into the body.[1] The term "poisoning" is a derivative of poison, a term describing any chemical substance that may harm or kill a living organism upon ingestion.[2] Poisoning can be brought on by swallowing, inhaling, injecting or absorbing toxins through the skin. Toxicology is the practice and study of symptoms, mechanisms, diagnoses, and treatments correlated to poisoning.[3]
Acute toxicity/poisoning consists of a living organism being harmfully exposed to poison once or more times during a brief period, with symptoms manifesting within 14 days since administration.[5]
Death rate from unintentional poisoning in 2017.[8]
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.[9] A large portion of these accidental incidents occurred due to mistakenly taking the incorrect medicine, or doubling one's dose by mistake.[9]
Industry and Warfare
Arsenic trioxide is a white, crystalline powder that closely resembles sugar. The 1858 Bradford sweets poisoning incident happened because it was mistaken for a sugar substitute ("daff").
Most biocides, including pesticides, 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 who apply the biocides and other beneficial organisms.[14] For example, the herbicide 2,4-D 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.[15]
Toxication
Many substances regarded as poisons are toxic only indirectly through toxication. An example is "wood alcohol" or methanol, which is not poisonous itself but is chemically converted to toxic formaldehyde and formic acid once it reaches the liver.[16] Many drug molecules are made toxic in the liver, and the genetic variability of certain liver enzymes makes the toxicity of many compounds differ between people.
As mandated in GHS, various safety-orientated government agencies from around the globe have put into place the usage of pictograms when labelling toxic substances.[17][18] The hazard symbol which labels a substance as capable of poisoning depicts the imagery of a human skull in front of two bones crossing one another.[19]
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.[20] 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.[21]
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.[23][24] 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.[25]
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.[26]
^Patton, James. "Gas in The Great War". www.kumc.edu. Mail Stop 1025 3901 Rainbow Blvd. Kansas City, KS 66160: History and Philosophy of Medicine. Retrieved 2024-04-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
^Vereinte Nationen, ed. (2007). Globally harmonized system of classification and labelling of chemicals: GHS (2nd revised ed.). New York: United Nations. ISBN978-92-1-116957-7.
^Vereinte Nationen, ed. (2011). Globally harmonized system of classification and labelling of chemicals: GHS. United Nations (4th revised ed.). New York: United Nations. ISBN978-92-1-117042-9.
