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- Material that causes illness or death when introduced into or absorbed by a living organism, esp. when able to kill by rapid action and when taken in small quantity; a substance of this kind.
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According to biologists, the term venomous is applied to organisms that bite (or sting) to inject their toxins, whereas the term poisonous applies to organisms that unload toxins when you eat them. This means that very few snakes are truly poisonous. The vast majority of snake toxins are transferred by bite.
- Poison
A poison is a substance capable of producing adverse effects...
- Poison
- Overview
- Definition of a poison
- Classification of a poison
poison, in biochemistry, a substance, natural or synthetic, that causes damage to living tissues and has an injurious or fatal effect on the body, whether it is ingested, inhaled, or absorbed or injected through the skin.
Although poisons have been the subject of practical lore since ancient times, their systematic study is often considered to have begun during the 16th century, when the German-Swiss physician and alchemist Paracelsus first stressed the chemical nature of poisons. It was Paracelsus who introduced the concept of dose and studied the actions of poisons through experimentation. It was not until the 19th century, however, that the Spaniard Matthieu Orfila, the attending physician to Louis XVIII, correlated the chemistry of a toxin with the biological effects it produces in a poisoned individual. Both concepts continue to be fundamental to an understanding of modern toxicology.
Poisoning involves four elements: the poison, the poisoned organism, the injury to the cells, and the symptoms and signs or death. These four elements represent the cause, subject, effect, and consequence of poisoning. To initiate the poisoning, the organism is exposed to the toxic chemical. When a toxic level of the chemical is accumulated in the cells of the target tissue or organ, the resultant injury to the cells disrupts their normal structure or function. Symptoms and toxic signs then develop, and, if the toxicity is severe enough, death may result.
This article considers humans as the primary subjects of poisoning. It first discusses the actions of poisons on the body and then examines principal types of synthetic and natural poisons.
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A poison is a substance capable of producing adverse effects on an individual under appropriate conditions. The term “substance” is almost always synonymous with “chemical” and includes drugs, vitamins, pesticides, pollutants, and proteins. Even radiation is a toxic substance. Though not usually considered to be a “chemical,” most radiations are ge...
Poisons are of such diverse natures that they are classified by origin, physical form, chemical nature, chemical activity, target site, or use.
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In biology, a poison is a chemical substance causing death, injury or harm to organisms or their parts. In medicine, poisons are a kind of toxin that are delivered passively, not actively. In industry the term may be negative, something to be removed to make a thing safe, or positive, an agent to limit unwanted pests.
Feb 26, 2024 · Overview. What is poisoning? Poisoning is when exposure to a toxic substance makes you sick or harms you. Many different substances are toxic to humans. A few examples include heavy metals, certain gases and even some plants you encounter while gardening. Poisoning often happens suddenly and accidentally.
POISONOUS definition: 1. very harmful and able to cause illness or death: 2. A poisonous animal or insect uses poison in…. Learn more.
Apr 24, 2024 · Poisonous plants and animals contain substances that are dangerous to your body if they’re ingested, inhaled or otherwise enter your body passively. Some poisons can be transferred just by touching your skin. In other words, poisons cause damage by first being absorbed by your cells and then entering your bloodstream.
Sep 8, 2024 · Updated on September 08, 2024. This is a list or table of chemicals that can kill you. Some of these poison names are common and some are rare. Some you need in order to live, while others you should avoid at all costs. Note that the values are median lethal values for an average human.
