Talk:Cyanide poisoning

PENIS Typically in spy films, the villainous henchman swallows a small cyanide pill, gasps, and then dies before James Bond can pump him for information. How realistic is this? How much cyanide would be needed to have a movie-style effect, e.g. almost-instant death, with just enough time for the villain to say "the loot is hidden... castle... Velma! (gasp)". -Ashley Pomeroy (talk) 15:06, 26 July 2008 (UTC)

There would have to be 100-200 mg in the capsule, which causes the loss of consciousness in less than a minute, even, occasionally, in as little as 10 seconds. HOWEVER, after 45 minutes, the victim enters comatose and seizures will eventually begin. After up to 2 hours post-exposure, they're dead. So it's sorta realistic in that it's nigh impossible to discern whether the person it alive or dead from the viewer's (i.e. yours, in this case) POV.--Firehawk1717 (talk) 02:53, 3 August 2008 (UTC)

causes death by interrupting the electron transport chain?  From what I've read and heard, it actually permanently binds to hemoglobin and effectively asphyxiates the victim.

A quick google search of 'hemoglobin' and 'cyanide' returned multiple results claiming that this was the actual cause of cyanide death (Except for the first result, which was actually a rip off of this page, except that it crashed firefox after loading.). 71.117.83.134 (talk) 02:10, 17 June 2008 (UTC)

I remember being told that at some point too, however see [1]. Also consider this: many of the antidotes listed act by modifying haemoglobin to make it *more* attractive to cyanide, thereby competing effectively with cytochrome c oxidase - if the primary mechanism were haemoglobin binding, this would be counterproductive. 212.44.43.80 (talk) 14:42, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

When I did a chemistry degree - a long time ago 1976... One of my modules in Organic Chemistry was "natural products" - mainly the biochemisty of the body. It was the one module I didn't really bother to revise, as I had little intention of answering the one question (we had to answer 4 out of 8). Anyway, I did remember part of this. ISTR that we were told that the cyanide was complexed by hemoglobin, then transferred to cytochrome a, then to cytochrome b (where it remained stuck), and then the lecturer always used to say, "it only takes 70mg of sodium cyanide to complex all the cytochrome b in the body, and then your muscles get starved of oxygen". That may not be a 100% correct recollection, but it ceratinly does not kill by just complexing haemoglobin, as that would take far more cyanide. Ronhjones (talk) 23:59, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

Furthermore, I've looked at your (212.44.43.80) ref, and I see it's dated 1993. Treatment has changed a lot since then - and it depends where you are. I'm also a (UK) First Aider trained in cyanide treatment, we only give oxygen (as first aiders) with a "blow bag" - so very high percentage of oxygen. When the patient gets to Hospital, we have to know for certain if the person has taken cyanide - if not certain then the Hospital will be very reluctant to use Kelocyanor (the only treatment used in UK), in any case if (s)he has survived that long already with just oxygen, then there is a good chance that they will survive on just oxygen alone, allowing the liver to metabolize the cyanide. If the Kelocyanor is used and they have not taken cyanide, then there is a greater risk of doing them even more damage. (P.S. I turned this discussion into a proper new correctlt headed section) Ronhjones (talk) 00:14, 16 January 2009 (UTC)

Cyanide works by blocking Complex IV of the electron chain, thus preventing the oxidation of all substrates including NADH, FADH2, and ascorbate. This obviously prevents ATP synthesis. This was from an MCAT book, I'm assuming it's true. Though the more popular method of death as you all have mentioned is binding to hemoglobin. Thats what I was taught in my intro to biochemistry class. I don't really know that much beyond what my MCAT book tells me however. Elyswim (talk) 22:13, 23 January 2009 (UTC)

I think the occurance of "binding to hemoglobin" is because that makes it an easy concept to teach - a bit like "valency" vs. "oxidation state" in chemisty. In reality the process is much more complecated. Since your post, I've had another good look to find some good references, and they all seem to support the complexing of cytochrome oxidase. Certainly it cannot be "binding to hemoglobin", as there is so much hemoglobin, and we know that 0.1g of sodium cyanide can be fatal - there is no-way that 0.1g can bind to all that hemoglobin. Articles I found were [2] [3] [4]

I've just added something to the article about this, as there is currently no information at all about cyanide's mode of action, except for the overly general "makes celles unable to use oxygen". I thought it was haemoglobin, too, but if cytochrome is what the reference says, in it goes. cojoco (talk) 02:59, 9 November 2009 (UTC)

Cytochrome oxidase has a heme group in it (actually, two of them) just like hemoglobin does (which has 4). No doubt cyanide binds to them all, but this is the most important one. SBHarris 01:05, 9 February 2010 (UTC)

Hitler's Death

Adolf Hitler himself also bit a cyanide capsule while simultaneously firing his Walther PPK pistol into his right temple, but since a bullet is instantaneous, it can be assumed that the bullet actually caused his death.

The above is disputed by Ian Kershaw in "Hitler, 1936-1945: Nemesis". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.105.56.178 (talk) 12:23, 21 January 2010 (UTC) dont trust wikipidea its fake! i got an F on my project im stressed i know —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.70.207.12 (talk) 00:56, 12 May 2011 (UTC)

e. It has been placed here with intent to scare people out of consuming apricot kernels, whose ability to cure even terminal cancer have been documented time and time again. The FDA does not want people consuming apricot kernels because they fear that if people turn to highly effective alternative cancer treatments, their billion dollar industry of standard medicine (surgery, radiation, chemo) will go down the tubes. If cyanide poisoning were a real lethal threat, fruits like apples, watermelons, apricots, etc. would have warnings in supermarkets. If the FDA was truly concerned about your health, as they claim to be with regards to apricot kernels, then they would have already placed a ban on cigarettes and alcohol. I have read dozens of stories of people being cured from even TERMINAL cancers by apricot kernel consumption. Not once have I come across anyone with "cyanide poisoning" or death as a result of consumption. Now get this propaganda off this page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.241.151.200 (talk) 21:11, 14 December 2011 (UTC)

The FDA has no control over cigarette and alcohol since this was specifically removed from them by law (that was part of the reason for the formation of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives). You can't expect democracy to be fair-- the majority of people get to do whatever hazardous things they want to. But they reserve the power to regular hazardous activities that are unpopular.

As for your stories of people cured by apricot pits, save them for your collection of stories of ghosts and religious miracles. SBHarris 19:17, 23 June 2012 (UTC)

Remove duplicate data?

The fact that hydrogen cyanide has been used in judicial executions is mentioned twice, at the bottom of section 3 and in section 4.1. I think that these occurrences should be merged into section 4.1. The suicides of many Nazis is also mentioned twice, both at the bottom of section 3 and in section 4.3. I think that these should be merged into section 4.3. Does anybody else agree with me? Nutster (talk) 12:56, 25 March 2012 (UTC)

I do. There seems to be a horrible tendency of every subject in Wikipedia to eventually be seen in relationship to Hitler or the Nazis. We must fight it! SBHarris 19:10, 23 June 2012 (UTC)

Madame Bovary

Nope. Not cyanide, but arsenic - and a very good description of arsenic poisoning, too! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.145.49.185 (talk) 18:49, 23 June 2012 (UTC)

death of other discoverers

is there an info on prevous people who accidentall discovered cyanide and then died? found in labs in unexplained at the time circumstances. How did they find it was poisonous? Engineman (talk) 16:04, 1 July 2012 (UTC)

Apricot Seeds Woo!

I removed this section as it wasn't referenced at all, and I doubt there are any reliable peer-reviewed references to cite:

"Rumors that consuming amygdalin or apricot seeds can cause cyanide poisoning are wrong. Amygdalin has supplemented anti-canceer therapy and has been approved by many health organization and governments, except in the U.S by FDA (Food and Drug Administration)."

94.197.127.68 (talk)

Jonestown?

I admit I skimmed most of the Wiki article but still, shouldn't something be said about poisoning via means other than inhalation (i.e., oral ingestion)? If the effects are the same--that's kind of what I was looking to find out and admit that I do not know--then I wish that would be mentioned. Not all "cyanide poisioning" is just by inhalation of it, and the article seems to only address that, at least in the first part. Again, I skimmed it, but a general article on "cyanide poisoning" should not cover ONLY "what happens if INHALED..." 71.236.158.179 (talk) 05:31, 8 November 2013 (UTC)