MODERN POISONS

Acetamide
Description: Colourless, sand-like. Used in lacquers, explosives, solder.
Contact: Inhalation, skin contact.
Low Exposure: Eye, nose, throat irritation.
Long term Exposure: Liver damage.

Acetic Acid
Description: White to yellow crystalline powder. Herbicide.
Contact: Inhalation, skin contact.
General Hazard: Mutagenic.
Low Exposure: Throat irritation. Skin, eye irritation.
Overexposure: Headache, nausea, tremors, reduced coordination, weakness, liver and kidney damage.
Long term Exposure: Reproductive damage.

Acetic Aldehyde
Description: Colourless liquid or gas. Fruit odour.
Contact: Inhalation.
General Hazard: Mutagenic, flammable, reactive, explosive.
Low Exposure: Dizziness, unconsciousness. Eye, nose, throat, lung irritation. Eye burns.
Overexposure: Pulmonary edemea.

Acetone
Description: Colourless liquid. Sweet odour.
Contact: Inhalation, skin contact.
General Hazard: Flammable.
Low Exposure: Skin, eye, nose, throat irritation. Skin burns.
Overexposure: Dizziness, unconsciousness.

Acetylene Dichloride
Description: Colourless liquid. Ether odour. Used as a solvent.
Contact: Inhalation.
General Hazard: Flammable, reactive, explosive.
Overexposure: Dizziness, unconsciousness. Skin, eye irritation. Nose, throat, lung irritation.
Long term Exposure: Liver damage.

Acetylene tetrachloride
Description: Colourless or pale yellow liquid. Sweet odour. Used in insecticides, paints, rust removers, varnishes.
Contact: Inhalation, skin contact
General Hazard: Carcinogenic.
Low Exposure: Dizziness, drowsiness. Liquid or vapour causes eye damage.
Overexposure: Unconsciousness, liver and kidney damage, death.
Long term Exposure: Liver, kidney damage.

Acrylic Acid
Description: Clear liquid. Used in plastics, leather treatments, paper coating.
Contact: Inhalation, skin contact.
General Hazard: Corrosive, reactive, explosive.
Low Exposure: Skin burns. Development of allergy. Eye burns. Irritation of eyes, nose, throat.
Overexposure: Kidney and lung damage.
Long term Exposure: Kidney and lung damage.

Aluminum
Description: Silver/white metallic solid, powder. First refined in Oberlin, OH.
Contact: Inhalation
General Hazard: Flammable, explosive.
Low Exposure: Lung scarring. Cough and shortness of breath. Eye irritation, cornea scratching.

Aluminum Oxide
Description: White, sand-link powder.
Contact: Inhalation.
Low Exposure: Eye, nose, throat irritation.
Long term Exposure: Lung scarring. May be fatal.

Ammonia
Description: Colourless gas. Used as a cleaning agent.
Contact: Inhalation.
General Hazard: Corrosive.
Low Exposure: Lung irritation.
Overexposure: Pulmonary edema. Death.
Long term Exposure: Chronic eye, nose, mouth, throat irritation.

Ammonium Nitrate
Description: White crystal. Used in explosives, matches, fertilizers. Favourite of terrorists.
Contact: Inhalation, skin contact.
General Hazard: Reactive, explosive.
Low Exposure: Skin, eye, nose, throat, lung irritation.
Overexposure: Nausea, headaches, weakness, unconsciousness. Reduction in blood's ability to carry oxygen. May result in death.

Antimony
Description: Silver/gray, metal or yellow crystal. Used in enamels and matches.
Contact: Inhalation, skin contact.
Low Exposure: Eye, nose, throat, skin irritation.
Overexposure: Nausea, headaches, stomach pain, shortness of breath, death.
Long term Exposure: Heart and liver damage. Causes abnormal chest x-ray. Skin, nose, mouth ulcers.

Arsenic
Description: Silver/gray crystalline solid. Used in solders.
Contact: Inhalation, skin contact.
General Hazard: Carcinogenic.
Low Exposure: Skin burning, itching, thickening, discoloration.
Overexposure: Nerve damage, numbness, weakness, poor appetite and nausea, cramps, nose ulcers, damage to liver, blood vessels, red blood cells.
Long term Exposure: Nerve damage.

Asbestos
Description: Asbestos is a mixture of mineral fibers. Used in insulations throughout the 20th century. Now banned.
Contact: Inhalation.
General Hazard: Carcinogenic.
Long term Exposure: Asbestosis (latency of 20 years): lung scarrings, abnormal chest x-ray, exercise-induced asthma. Death.

Barium
Description: Silver/white or yellow metal powder. Used in spark plugs.
Contact: Inhalation.
Low Exposure: Eye, nose, throat irritation.
Long term Exposure: Lung irritation. Abnormal chest x-ray. Barium poisoning: vomiting, diarrhoea, irregular heartbeat, paralysis, death.

Benzene
Description: Colourless liquid. Pleasant odour. Used in gasoline. This is what you smell at a gas station.
Contact: Inhalation, skin contact.
General Hazard: Carcinogenic, flammable.
Low Exposure: Dizziness, lightheadedness. Nose, throat irritation. Nausea, vomiting.
Overexposure: Convulsions, irregular heartbeat, death.
Long term Exposure: Aplastic anemia (fatal).

Beryllium
Description: Gray/white metal. Used in electronics, ceramics, x-ray tubes
Contact: Inhalation.
General Hazard: Carcinogenic.
Low Exposure: Eye contact causes irritation.
Overexposure: Bronchitis, pneumonia (1-2 day latency). May cause death. Lung and organ scarring. Heart failure.
Long term Exposure: Scarring, heart failure.

Cadmium
Description: Blue metal, gray powder. Used in electroplating.
Contact: Inhalation.
General Hazard: Carcinogenic, reproductive damage.
Overexposure: Nausea, salivation, vomiting, cramps, diarrhoea, lung damage, death. (Multiple hour latency.)
Long term Exposure: Kidney damage, emphysema, anemia, loss of smell.

Carbolic Acid
Description: Colourless or pink solid, thick liquid. Tar odour. Used in plywood, plastics, rubber.
Contact: Inhalation, skin contact.
General Hazard: Mutagenic.
Low Exposure: Skin and eye burns. Permanent eye damage.
Overexposure: Vomiting, diarrhoea, deadache, dizziness, fainting, Death.
Long term Exposure: Liver, kidney damage.

Chlorine
Description: Green/yellow gas, irritating odour. Used as disinfectant and in chlorine bleach cleaners. This is what you smell at a pool.
Contact: Inhalation
Low Exposure: Eye, nose, throat irritation. Contact with eyes causes tearing. Coughing, chest pain.
Overexposure: Lung burns, pulmonary edema, death.
Long term Exposure: Permanent lung damage. Tooth damage.

Chloroform
Description: Clear colourless liquid. Pleasant, sweet odour. Used in dyes, drugs, pesticides. Most movies suggest that this is a great way to knock someone out. It is not.
Contact: Inhalation, skin contact.
General Hazard: Carcinogenic.
Low Exposure: Dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, confusion, headache. Irregular or stopped heartbeat.
Overexposure: Coma, death.
Long term Exposure: Liver, kidney, nervous system damage.

Copper
Description: Reddish-brown metal. Used in electrical engineering, plumbing, heating, roofing, construction.
Contact: Inhalation.
Low Exposure: Eye, nose, throat irritation. Can cause blindness if eye contact. Metal fume fever: flu-like illness with fever, chills, aches, chest tightness, cough. Allergic skin rash.

Freon 113
Description: Colourless liquid. Ether odour. Found in cleaning solvents and refrigeration units (including air conditioners).
Contact: Inhalation.
Low Exposure: Sleepiness, loss of concentration. Eye, nose, throat irritation.
Overexposure: Heart irregularities. This may lead to death.
Long term Exposure: With skin contact, irritation and rash.

Freon 150
Description: Colourless, oily liquid. Chloroform odour. Used to make vinyl chloride, found as solvent.
Contact: Inhalation, skin contact.
General Hazard: Carcinogenic. Flammable.
Low Exposure: Nausea, headaches, dizziness. Irritation of nose, throat, lungs, skin, eyes. Liver, kidney damage. Unconsciousness, death.
High Exposure: Pulmonary edema. death.

Lead
Description: Soft, gray metal. Resists corrosion, stops x-rays and Kryptonite. Well, at least x-rays.
Contact: Inhalation, ingestion, cigarettes.
General Hazard: Reproductive damage, fetal injury.
Low Exposure: Fatigue, mood changes, headaches, stomach problems, trouble sleeping.
Overexposure: Aches, weakness, memory and concentration loss. Kidney and brain damage. Increases risk of high blood pressure.
Long term Exposure: Lead build up in body. In young children, causes slow brain development and mental deficiency.

Mercury
Description: Silvery heavy liquid. Used in thermometers, barometers, mirrors. Was once used in the hat-making industry. The most famous example of mercury poisoning is the Mad Hatter in Alice In Wonderland; many hatters died or went insane from mercury poisoning.
Contact: Inhalation, skin contact.
General Hazard: Corrosive.
Overexposure: Chest pain, pulmonary edema, death.
Long term Exposure: Mercury poising ("mad hatter's syndrome"): kidney disease, tremors, gum disease, loss of concentration and memory, mood changes. Clouding of eyes.

Nickel
Description: Silver/white metal. Used in electroplating and stainless steel.
Contact: Inhalation, skin contact.
General Hazard: Carcinogen, fetal damage. Flammable, explosive.
Low Exposure: Skin allergy, itching, redness, rash. Lung allergy, asthma.
Overexposure: Cough, asthma, pulmonary edema (1-2 day latency.)

Nitrogen Mustard
Description: Liquid. Faint odor of herring. Used as a base for gas weapons.
Contact: Inhalation.
Low Exposure: Bone marrow damage (reduces immune system), blood platelet damage (increases bleeding), red blood cell damage (causes anemia).
Overexposure: Nausea, vomiting. Liver damage, skin rash. Seizures.

Nitroglycerin
Description: Pale yellow liquid or crystalline solid. Used in dynamite, explosives, propellants, medicine.
Contact: Inhalation, skin contact.
General Hazard: Reactive, explosive.
Low Exposure: Headache, nausea, lightheadedness.
Overexposure: Confusion, reduction of oxygen carrying in blood, death.
Long term Exposure: Tolerance develops. Angina (chest pain) and heart attack may result from sudden withdrawal of exposure. Small doses over long periods of time reduce angina and heart attack risk.

Phenaclor
Description: Colourless or yellow solid. Strong odour. Used as wood preservative, insecticide ingredient, anti-mildew ingredient.
Contact: Inhalation.
Low Exposure: Irritation of eyes, nose, throat, skin.
Overexposure: Weakness, tremors, convulsions, coma, death.

Picric Acid
Description: Pale yellow, paste or liquid. No odour. Used in dyes and explosives.
Contact: Inhalation, skin contact.
General Hazard: Mutagenic, explosive, flammable, reactive.
Low Exposure: Skin, nose, mouth, throat irritation. Creates skin allergy.
Overexposure: Liver, kidney, red blood cell damage. Death.

Propylene
Description: Colourless gas. Used in gasoline.
Contact: Inhalation.
General Hazard: Flammable.
Low Exposure: Skin contact with liquid causes frostbite. Irregular heartbeat, liver damage.
Overexposure: Dizziness, lightheadedness. Unconsciousness. Death.

Pyrrolylene
Description: Colourless gas. Pleasant odour. Liquid below 23 degrees F. Used in rubber products.
Contact: Inhalation.
General Hazard: Carcinogenic, flammable, reactive, explosive.
Low Exposure: Unconsciousness or dizziness, irritation of eyes, nose, mouth, throat. Liquid irritates skin and causes frostbite.
Overexposure: Death.

Saccharin
Description: White crystalline powder or solid. Used as sweetener.
Contact: Inhalation.
General Hazard: Carcinogenic.
Overexposure: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea. General allergy.
Silver
Description: Soft, white metal. Used in jewellery, silverware, mirrors. Used in photographic equipment, solders, electroplating.
Contact: Inhalation
Long term Exposure: Blue stain to eyes, mouth, throat, organs, skin. May take years. Never dissipates.

Sulphuric Acid
Description: Oily liquid. Used in fertilizers, dyes, etching. Used to make steel and explosives.
Contact: Inhalation, skin contact.
General Hazard: Corrosive, reactive, explosive.
Low Exposure: Eye, nose, throat, lung irritation. Skin, eye burns (third degree). Blindness. Pulmonary edema.
Long term Exposure: Lung damage, tooth damage.

Urethane
Description: Colourless, odourless crystal or white powder. Used in pesticides.
Contact: Inhalation, skin contact.
General Hazard: Carcinogenic.
Overexposure: Dizziness, unconsciousness. Liver, brain, blood damage.
Long term Exposure: Liver, brain, blood damage.