New Delhi: The disclosure of Delhi police that Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, was murdered using a poisonous substance that is yet to be identified, has generated interest in poisons that can kill people.
What are the poisons that are used for killing people?
Based on various sources, we are presenting a list of 10 poisonous substances known to mankind:
Arsenic is known to be the most potent poison that has killed many lives. It has been used since ancient time and has a long and diverse history of use. Its lack of colou r, smell, and taste made it one of the most preferred poisons. When taken in high dosage arsenic causes severe abdominal cramps, vomiting, and ultimately death. Some of the famous people who are believed to have died due to arsenic poisoning are Napoleon Bonaparte, George the 3rd of England and Simon Bolivar.
This poisonous stuff Clostridium botulinum is produced by gram-positive anaerobic bacteria. The clinical syndrome of botulism can occur following ingestion of contaminated food, or from a wound infection. It involves muscle paralysis, eventually leading to the paralysis of the respiratory system and, consequently, death. This poison was made popular in the stories of Sherlock Holmes.
Hemlock: Its poisoning may refer to poisoning by either poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) or water hemlock family (Cicuta species and Oenanthe crocata L.). Historically, poison hemlock was reportedly used to execute Socrates. Initially it attacks in the form of paralysis in which the mind of the individual is working but his physical movements of his body gets reduced to minimal. It affects slowly and ultimately it kills the affected person.
Dimethylmercury:It can be extremely poisonous stuff. The most dangerous point associated with this poison is that it is a slow killer in which the victim comes to know that he is been infected only in the final stages and probably no medical cure is available for the affected person. An intake of doses as low as 0.1ml has proven lethal. In 1996, a chemistry professor at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, trickled a drop or two of the poison on her gloved hand - dimethylmercury went through the latex glove, indications appeared four months later and after ten months she passed away.
Polonium 210: it is lethal in extremely small doses. Less than 1 gram (0.04 ounces) of the silver powder is sufficient to kill. A 2007 study by radiation experts from Britain's Health Protection Agency concluded that once polonium-210 is deposited in the bloodstream, its potent effects are nearly impossible to stop. A poisoning victim would experience multiple organ failure as alpha radiation particles bombard the liver, kidneys and bone marrow from within. The symptoms shown by Litvinenko — nausea, hair loss, throat swelling and pallor — are also typical.
Mercury: A naturally occurring element can be used as a toxin to kill people is Mercury. The biggest advantage with this element is that it can be used in varying amounts and its impact is also varying and Mercury is a naturally occurring element that is found in air, water and soil. It has a highly poisonous form (methylmercury) which can be found in shellfish and animals that eat fish. Fish and shellfish are the main sources of methylmercury exposure to humans. If human beings are exposed to it for a longer duration than it can damage their brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system. High levels of methylmercury in the bloodstream of unborn babies learn. One
Tetrodotoxin: It is an uncommon poison which is generally found in marine animals. This includes Puffer fish and Octopus. The cases of Tetrodotoxin are generally seen in Taiwan, Japan, and Southeast Asia. The main advantage with this toxin is that its effect can be realized after many hours one is affected by it.
Atropa belladonna: The poison which is found in a plant. In ancient days Venetian woman used it as form of cosmetics to enhance their beauty. But then people found the other use of it .It can be used as a toxin to kill people. Its poison is so high that even a leaf of the plant could take life of a people or the good looking berries of the plant are equally poisonous.
Cyanide: It is a rare toxin but on the other hand it assures confirmed death if one intakes it.. It works by making the body unable to use life-sustaining oxygen.
It can be found in various substances like almonds, apple seeds, apricot kernel, tobacco smoke, insecticides, pesticides etc. It can be used in gaseous form also which is known as hydrogen cyanide in its gaseous form . The most famous example of this is the Nazi Germany for mass murders in gas chambers during the Holocaust and killing of Jews.
Aconitine: This is another toxin which can be found in plants Aconitum species are highly toxic cardiotoxins and neurotoxins. Poisoning can occur even after coming in contact with the leaves of the plant without wearing gloves as it is very quickly and easily absorbed by the human skin. The poison find itself mentioned in history books where emperor Claudius is said to have been poisoned by his wife, Agrippina, in a plate of mushrooms which contained aconite.
