Analyzing toxicity is difficult. It matters how we consume a material as well as its chemical state. If we ingested liquid mercury (as opposed to breathing in the vapor), it would probably pass through us safely.
However, in 1996, a small amount of the chemical dimethyl mercury accidentally got on the rubber gloves of an American professor, and it permeated both the gloves and her skin, resulting in her going into a deadly coma a few months later.
But here are five truly lethal poisons that are at least a hundred times more toxic than cyanide, arsenic, and strychnine, in ascending order:
1. Botulinum toxin:
One of the most toxic biological molecules known as “wonder poison” is botulinum toxin. Neurotoxin is made by the anaerobic, gram-positive, spore-forming rod bacterium Clostridium botulinum. That is typically found on plants, soil, water, and animal intestinal tracts.
Botulinum toxin administered intramuscularly causes muscle paralysis at the neuromuscular junction. The primary neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, is blocked from being released by all serotypes. The toxin takes between 24 and 72 hours to start working, which corresponds to how long it takes to stop the synaptosomal process.
In extremely uncommon situations, some people could need up to five days to notice the full effect. The effects of botulinum toxin peak at about 10 days and extend for almost 8–12 weeks.
2. Maitotoxin:
Maitotoxin, often known as MTX, is a biotoxin made by the dinoflagellate species Gambierdiscus toxicus. It has been established that maitotoxin has a potency greater than 100,000 times greater than the VX nerve agent. Maitotoxin is so potent that it is fatal to mice when administered intraperitoneally at a dose of 130 mg/kg.
It’s an extremely complex structure that was created by a type of marine plankton called a dinoflagellate. That poses a huge challenge for synthetic chemists. As a cardiotoxin, maitotoxin causes heart failure by increasing the passage of calcium ions across the cardiac muscle membrane.
3. Batrachotoxin:
Certain species of beetles, birds, and frogs contain the extreme cardio- and neurotoxic steroidal alkaloid known as batrachotoxin (BTX). It is an alkaloid that is exceedingly dangerous. This alkaloid is mostly found on the skin of some frogs.
These frogs are among those that are used to contaminate darts. Batrachotoxin binds to the sodium channels of nerve cells, making them permanently open, and preventing them from shutting, which causes paralysis and death. There is no proven cure.
According to rodent tests, its intravenous LD50 in mice is 2-3 g/kg. The poison is secreted by glands on the back and behind the ears of frogs belonging to the genus Phyllobates. These glands produce colorless or milky secretions. The toxin is instinctively released through several channels when one of these frogs feels irritated, threatened, or in pain.
4. VX:
VX is a nerve agent with the consistency of engine oil and the only synthetic substance among our top five. It was developed as a result of ICI’s early 1950s research into novel insecticides. But it turned out to be too toxic for use in agriculture.
Acetylcholine is a chemical needed for the transmission of nerve signals between cells, which is how VX kills. It must first be broken down by the enzyme catalyst acetylcholinesterase to stop it from transmitting messages. As this enzyme is prevented from functioning by VX and other nerve agents, your muscles tense out of control, and you suffocate to death.
Both sides produced nerve agents throughout the Cold War, but VX rose to prominence once it was used in the popular movie The Rock. VX, a former adherent of the Aum Shinrikyo cult, is only known to have murdered one person, albeit accidentally killing 4,000 sheep in Skull Valley, Utah, in 1968. Its LD50 is as low as 3 micrograms per kilogram (although some reports suggest the figure is a little higher).
5. Ricin:
The notoriously lethal plant poison was used to murder the exiled Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov in London. In Markov’s thigh, an examination discovered a tiny platinum-iridium alloy spherical. The sphere may have been fired from an air gun concealed in the umbrella because it had been drilled to accept a little amount of ricin.
Castor oil plant (Ricinus communis) beans produce ricin, which is found in solid fiber but not in the oil itself. It is a glycoprotein that prevents the cell from making proteins, which results in cell death. Orally ingested doses have a lethal dose (LD50) of 1 to 20 mg/kg, but inhalation or injection (as in Markov’s case) requires much lower doses to cause death.
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Raziya Nasrin
Intern, Content Writing Department
YSSE