Cyanides

1
Cyanides

• HCN KCN NaCN
• Solid or vapors
• Extremely toxic arrest of intracellular
  breathing
• KCN lethal dose 0,15 0,60 g (dose may depend on
  freshness)
• Industry Nature (some plants manioc yam
  kernels of some fruits)
• Ways of application vapors (HCN) ingestion
  (KCN)
• Symptoms of intoxication
• Big dose death within few seconds
• Small dose burning and bitter taste in mouth
  vomiting difficult breathing cramps, spasms
  signs of cardiac failure unconsciousness death
• Autopsy findings
• Brightly red lividities
• Typical smell of bitter almonds
• General signs of suffocation
• Lesions of gastric mucosa KCNH2OKOHHCN
• Medico legal implications accident suicide
  homicide

2
Methanol

• CH3OH liquid typical aromatic smell of an
  alcohol
• Extremely toxic
• Lethal dose 30-100 g
• Ways of application vapors, ingestion
• Symptoms of intoxication
• Sniffing up difficult speaking (whisper) pain
  in the throat tinnitus difficult breathing
  disorders of consciousness
• Medico-legal implications
• Accident
• Suicide
• Homicide

3
Nitrites

• Nitric gases
• Lethal dose about 0,4 g/l
• Main symptoms breathing disorders, pulmonary
  oedema,expectoration og haemorhagic sputum
• Solid compounds anorganic or organic origin
• Amylnitrite nitrobenzene nitrogylcerine
• Lethal dose quite high, different, may be 4-15 g
• Symptoms of intoxication
• general difficulties in breathing, disorders of
  consciousness perspiration signs of suffocation
• Autopsy findings
• Typical blue-gray lividities methaemoglobinemia

4
Thalium

• Metallic chemical element
• Different chemical compounds fluorides,
  sulfites, chlorides,iodides
• Mainly used in industry
• Rat poison and ant killer
• Lethal dose about 2 g
• Ways of application ingestion
• Symptoms of intoxication
• Vomiting cramps unrest diarrhea then
  constipation renal failure
• Autopsy findings
• Not characteristic
• Medico-legal implication
• Accidents it was abused for induction of abortion

5
Arsenic

• As metalloid chemical element
• Inorganic and organic compounds
• Used in industry in wood preservation obsolete
  medicament (neoslavarsan)
• Lethal dose reduced (As (III) and oxidized (As
  (V) forms
• About 0,15-0,30 g
• Affect intracellular breathing, man enzymatic
  pathways
• Ways of application ingestion
• Symptoms of intoxication
• Gastrointestinal form (acute)
• Scrape in mouth, vomiting later haemorhagic,
  diarrhea signs of dehydratation renal failure
• Nerve form (chronic)
• Metallic taste in mouth, nausea,
  diarrhaeconstipation
• Inflammatory changes on mucosa stomatitis, skin
  pigmentation
• Neurological disorders
• Autopsy findings
• Gastrointestinal, liver and kidneys damage

6
Nicotine

• Alkaloid present in plants form Solanacae family
  tobacco
• Most wide-spread abused drug
• Content in tobacco is about 0,3-6
• Lethal dose 0,01-0,05 g (extract from one
  cigarette may lethal)
• Symptoms of intoxication
• Activate sympathetic nervous system salivation,
  nausea, vomiting
• CNS irritation
• Ways of application
• Smoking
• Chewing ingestion
• Autopsy findings
• Not characteristic, typical smell of tobacco from
  organs signs of burning on mucosa
• Medico-legal implication
• Accident
• Suicide
• Homicide

7
Barbiturates

• Organic substance
• Large family of medicaments
• Barbiturates are classified as ultrashort-,
  short-, intermediate-, and long-acting,
• Symptoms of intoxication
• respiratory depression, lowered blood pressure,
  fatigue, fever, unusual excitement, irritability,
  dizziness, poor concentration, sedation,
  confusion, impaired coordination, impaired
  judgment, addiction, and respiratory arrest which
  may lead to death
• Lethal dose different, quite high
• Autopsy findings
• Not characteristic, general signs of suffocation,
  hyperemia, brain edema
• Medico-legal implication
• Accident
• Suicides
• homicide

8
Warfare agents

• Blood agents
• Cyanogen chloride
• Hydrogen cyanide
• Blister agents
• Lewisite
• Mustard gas
• Nerve agents organophosphates blocking
  acetylcholinesterase
• Tabun
• Sarin
• Soman
• Syclosarin
• Novichok agents
• Pulmonary agents
• Chlorine
• Chloropicrine
• Phosgene
• Diphosgen
• Incapacitating agents
• Agent 15

9
Strychnine

• Alkaloid present in seeds from Strychnos nux
  vomica (Strychnine tree)
• Used as pesticide and rodenticide
• before in medicine as stimulant
• Extremely toxic 0,03 0,05 g
• Ways of application
• Ingestion
• Symptoms of intoxication
• Unrest, dizziness, anxiety,
• Feelings of suffocation
• Convulsions, thirst but drinking is not possible
• Death may occur immediately, but after a couple
  of days as well
• Autopsy findings
• Not typical, except rigor mortis which is lasting
  longer then usually
• Medico-legal implications
• Accident
• Suicide
• Homicide before, but not suitable because of
  extreme bitter taste

10
Insecticides

• 1 Classes of agricultural insecticides
• 1.1 Organochlorine compounds
• 1.2 Organophosphates
• 1.3 Pyrethroids
• 1.4 Neonicotinoids
• 1.5 Biological insecticides

11
Mushrooms intoxication

• Primary intoxication by mushrooms
• Amanita - contains phalotoxins and amatoxins
• Symptoms of intoxication
• CNS - hallucinations
• Gastrointestinal
• Hepatic failure
• Lethal dose
• About one half of cap may be lethal
• Secondary intoxication
• Bacterial contamination of non-toxic mushrooms
  prepared as food

12
Opium

• Opium is mixture of alkaloids present in sap of
  immature seed pops of Papaver somniferum
• Composition
• Morphine, narkoitn, papaverine, codeine, thebain
• Most commonly abused drug
• Derivatives heroin
• Ways of application
• Ingestion
• Smoking
• Symptoms of intoxication
• CNS
• Autopsy findings
• Not characteristic, pinky red lividities, general
  signs of suffocations, aspiration of gastric
  content
• Medico-legal implication
• Accident
• Suicide
• Homicide