Toxin
A poison is a substance that causes damage to biological systems. It commonly refers to substances that are life-threatening in small quantities. (Other substances, including water, can be lethal in large quantities, but are not usually called poisons.)
Toxin generally means the same thing as poison. Toxicity is a measure of how damaging a poison is (see also toxicology).
The onset of symptoms of poisoning may be rapid and swiftly lead to illness or even death. Examples are poisoning due to inhalation of hydrogen cyanide or injection of potassium chloride. This is called acute poisoning.
A poison may also take effect slowly. This known as chronic poisoning and is most common for poisons that bioaccumulate. Examples of these types of poisons are mercury, lead, and asbestos.
Famous Cases Of Poisoning
- Charles Darwin (Claimed only by rumor: self-medication with Fowler's Solution, one percent potassium arsenite)
- Jamestown colonists Standard historical accounts claim deaths by starvation, but the possibility of arsenic poisoning by rat poison (or by Bubonic plague) has also been reported (see http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets2/case3_clues.html).
- Clare Boothe Luce (Did not die of her poisoning) See Arsenic
- Napoleon Bonaparte (Claimed only by rumor: killed by someone on his staff; however, arsenic was measured but not found in his hair after his death)
- Socrates According to Plato, killed by Hemlock (water hemlock, not hemlock the evergreen tree)
Some Nonradioactive Poisons
- cyanides
- arsenic compounds
- arsenic trioxide
- botulin toxin
- snake and spider venoms
- curare
- carbon monoxide
- domoic acid (or Amnesic Shellfish Poison, ASP)
- amanita toxin
- muscarine
- methanol
- alkaloids
Some Radioactive Poisons
See Also Antidote -- Mithridates -- Pollutant -- English proverbs (look for word 'poison').
Poison is also the name of a US rock band active in the 1980s and 1990s. Members include:
- Bret Michaels
- Bobby Dall
- Rikki Rockett
- C C Deville