Hydrocyanic acid in the modern world is not only found in nature, but also is a product of human destructive activity. It is necessary to know the symptoms of hydrocyanic acid poisoning and first aid in order to have time to prevent the most serious consequences for the body.
Hydrocyanic acid
Hydrocyanic acid is a dangerous poison that quickly acts on all body systems. It has been known since historical times when it was used for murders, military operations and suicides. At present, poisoning can often be of a domestic nature due to ignorance or improper eating of foods containing this toxic substance.
How can you get poisoned
Hydrocyanic acid is found in nature. The source is the kernels of bitter almonds and fruit pits. Peach seeds contain up to 3% of this substance, slightly less than it in apricots and plums. Derived acid is part of the seeds of cherries, cherries and apple trees. Hydrocyanic acid is formed in the stomach during the decomposition of amygdalin, which is part of the seeds and almonds. Therefore, poisoning can occur with large (30 pieces) eating bitter almonds, peach or apricot nuts, plum and cherry jam with pits, as well as apple jam, especially during long-term storage. The possibility of poisoning exists when drinking wines infused with these berries and pitted fruits. The lower the body weight, the less amygdalin is needed for poisoning, since it can cause death in a dosage of 1 mg per 1 kg of weight. Bitter almonds are not consumed, but are used only for the manufacture of cosmetics. But even in sweet almonds there is a small amount of hydrocyanic acid.
There are substances made from hydrocyanic acid (cyanides). They can be part of the means of combating mice and rats, so you can get poisoned by staying in the room where the deratization takes place, as well as when rat poison enters food.
Toxic substances (cyanides) can be components of agents for treating plants from pests, therefore it is necessary to treat your garden plot in a special respirator so as not to breathe in harmful fumes.
In metallurgical production, in plastic plants and factories for the production of rubber, hydrogen cyanide is used in technological processes. Tobacco smoke is also rich in harmful substances.
Symptoms of hydrocyanic acid poisoning
The mechanism of the toxic effect of an acid is associated with its ability to bind to oxygen in the blood. Taking on all the oxygen, the toxic substance blocks its entry into the cells of organs and tissues. There is an acute lack of oxygen - hypoxia. The brain is the first to respond to a nutritional deficiency, which leads to disruption of its functioning and depression of the central nervous system (headache, lethargy, drowsiness, fainting). Following the brain, other organs are affected. This leads to multiple organ failure.
Depending on the amount of substance ingested, mild, moderate and severe degrees of poisoning can be distinguished.
Mild poisoning
In a person, symptoms of mild hydrocyanic acid poisoning can be considered: general weakness, rapid muscle fatigue, unpleasant bitter taste in the mouth, lack or loss of appetite, marked salivation, nausea, aggravated to vomiting, dizziness and headache, shortness of breath without exercise.
In this case, a person may not even understand what exactly he was poisoned with. All unpleasant symptoms disappear after the complete removal of the toxic substance from the body (up to three days).
Medium Poisoning
Signs of moderate severity of hydrocyanic acid poisoning include agitation of the nervous system, accompanied by motor anxiety, fear and anxiety.
The skin and mucous membranes turn red, the heart begins to beat less often, and pressure, on the contrary, rises, which is associated with a lack of oxygen. Dyspnea intensifies, breathing becomes shallow.
At the middle stage of poisoning, you can hear the characteristic bitter smell of almonds coming from the patient.
The brain responds by disorientation and confusion. Even convulsive readiness may be observed.
The described symptoms, even in case of timely treatment, are not quick, so the patient should be under the supervision of medical personnel for at least six days.
Severe poisoning
Severe symptoms of hydrocyanic acid poisoning require immediate treatment. Any procrastination threatens the patient with death. At this stage, changes with the body occur in several stages.
At the first stage, there is a gradual aggravation of the symptoms that were observed with a moderate degree of poisoning.
At the second stage, there is a significant increase in shortness of breath, since organs and tissues lack oxygen. The skin and mucous membranes become more red. Pain in the heart begins, the pulse quickens, arrhythmia can occur. There is depression of the central nervous system: the pupils dilate, agitation and disorientation increase. A persistent odor of almonds emanates from the patient. It is very difficult for him to breathe independently. A short breath that does not alleviate the condition occurs frequently and intermittently.
The third stage is characterized by seizures, both clonic and tonic. A person can even bite his tongue. In this case, loss of consciousness, aggravation of shortness of breath, a drop in heart rate and an increase in blood pressure are characteristic. Muscle cramps can last and increase up to several hours.
The condition in the fourth stage leads to respiratory arrest, a drop in blood pressure and the cessation of cardiac activity. There is a clinical death.
Complications and effects of toxic effects
Complications of the symptoms of hydrocyanic acid poisoning depend on what dose of the toxic substance the patient received, and also at what stage the care was provided.
Since oxygen starvation primarily affects the brain, complications in the central nervous system can be irreversible. The patient should be wary of the development of secondary parkinsonism, impaired gait associated with changes in the cerebellum, encephalopathy of toxic genesis, muscle paresis and paralysis, depression and neurotic disorders.
Effect of hydrocyanic acid on the heart can lead to toxic cardiomyopathy. Of the rapidly developing complications, the occurrence of pneumonia, acute heart failure, and kidney damage should be noted. To avoid all these harmful effects, treatment should be started as soon as possible.
Diagnostics
The determination of symptoms of hydrocyanic acid poisoning should take place as soon as possible. The ambulance team or any other medical professional who was the first to encounter the victim must quickly identify the possibility of poisoning in the above violations. Close relatives or relatives should clarify the fact of the use of products containing amygdalin. To find out if rats were poisoned in the house, if they were treated with harmful chemicals from the household plot, at which production the patient works.
Upon delivery of the patient to the hospital, blood and urine tests are taken, electrocardiography and other studies are performed according to indications.
Help with hydrocyanic acid poisoning
The one who first finds a person who has been poisoned with hydrocyanic acid should immediately call an ambulance. Independently, without wasting time, the victim should be drunk with sweet water (three tablespoons per half liter of water), give activated charcoal (two tablets per 10 kg of body weight). It will help to wake up by inhaling ammonia vapor for three to four seconds. When the poisoning occurred through the fault of toxic fumes, the patient should be transferred to clean air.
If a person is unconscious, with difficult to track pulse and breathing, it is necessary to proceed to cardiopulmonary resuscitation, doing indirect heart massage and artificial respiration in a ratio of five to one.
Upon arrival, ambulance workers will introduce a specific antidote for hydrocyanic acid poisoning. Such a substance is sodium thiosulfate (up to 50 ml of a 30% solution), which, when it enters the bloodstream, breaks the pathological reaction chain. With severe poisoning, re-administration of the drug in a lower dose is possible. The decomposition products of hydrocyanic acid after neutralization with sodium thiosulfate will be excreted in the urine.
Further treatment
After providing first aid and administering an antidote, the patient is taken to a hospital for examination and further treatment with hydrocyanic acid poisoning.
With a mild degree, the patient can be quickly released home, taking the necessary tests and making sure that nothing threatens his life.
In case of moderate or severe poisoning, the injured should be under the supervision of doctors. In life-threatening cases, treatment continues in intensive care. Conduct infusion therapy with saline and glucose for the speedy removal of toxic substances from the body. Oxygen therapy is shown, drugs that support the work of the heart and lungs, drugs that restore the brain.
After discharge from the hospital, aftercare takes place, aftercare takes place, observation by diversified narrow specialists, rehabilitation measures are carried out aimed at restoring health.
Poison Prevention
In order to prevent symptoms of hydrocyanic acid poisoning, the following rules must be observed:
- Bones from peaches, plums, apricots, cherries, cherries and apples should be removed when making homemade jam and wine.
- Do not eat bitter almonds and make sure that children do not eat a lot of even sweet almonds.
- Avoid contact with food and skin of poisons used to kill rats and mice.
- Treat plants with chemicals using personal protective equipment.
- In hazardous work, use the necessary protective attributes.
- Do not smoke and try not to stay in a smoked room for a long time.