Cyanide, a poison used throughout history to cause death, is actually be produced naturally. Certain bacteria, fungi, and algae produce cyanide, as well as other foods and plants. You can even find it in apple seeds, mangoes, and almonds. While these foods can generally be eaten without danger, a diet heavy in them can cause death.
There are multiple types of cyanide, as it is simply a chemical substance that contains a carbon-nitrogen bond. Not all are deadly, however sodium cyanide, potassium cyanide, and hydrogen cyanide are.
Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is by far the most common form of cyanide, and also the most lethal. Hydrogen cyanide is a product of certain kinds of pyrolysis, and consequently it occurs in the exhaust of internal combustion engines, tobacco smoke, and even certain plastics. One famous application of hydrogen cyanide was back during World War II. In the concentration camps, the Nazi’s used hydrogen cyanide in the gas chambers killing thousands upon thousands of people.
Sodium cyanide and potassium cyanide both come in a salt form, and have to be ingested.
Cyanide kills by entering the bloodstream where it attaches to the iron within the red blood cells responsible for oxygen transport. As an enzyme inhibitor, it works by suffocating the blood cells, and inhibiting hemoglobin from binding with the oxygen. This causes respiratory failure, leading to rapid breathing, headache, restlessness, dizziness, weakness nausea, vomiting, and rapid heart rate. When received in larger doses, convulsions ensue followed by a lowered heart rate and blood pressure, loss of consciousness, injury to the lungs, ultimate respiratory failure and death.
A person exposed to cyanide may have cherry-red skin from the high oxygen levels, or even a dark or blue coloring from Prussian blue (created when the iron binds to the cyanide ion). Additionally, the skin and/or body fluids of the victim may give off an odor of almonds.
Fortunately, there is an antidote, but you must act quickly. When consumed in small amounts, the body can detoxify itself, but a higher dose requires getting the victim to fresh air, followed by the antidote that will detoxify, or bind to the cyanide. Antidotes include natural vitamin B12, and hydroxocobalamin (which reacts with the cyanide to form cyanocobalamin, and is then excreted in urine). Additionally, inhaling amyl nitrite can aid in the breathing of victims of cyanide poisoning, as well as with carbon monoxide poisoning.
Recovery is possible after a case of cyanide poisoning, however paralysis, liver or kidney damage, and hypothyroidism are all possible.
Cyanide is used commercially for various things, such as extracting gold and silver from ore, extermination of pests, insecticide, production of acrylic fibers and synthetic rubbers, and even in the collection of fish for the aquarium trade.
Just about anyone can purchase cyanide, even from online retailers such as Amazon.com.
