Poisons, cellular

Exposure and Health Effects. Uranium is a general cellular poison, which can potentially affect any organ or tissue, Llranium and its... 

Hg acts as airway irritant, and cellular poison can affect central nervous system due to ability to pass blood-brain barrier. 

Pb 0.15 Cellular poison damages the liver, kidney, brain, and central nervous system produces mental retardation... 

Phosphorus is an oxidizing agent that, when exposed to air, may burn spontaneously. Thus, direct contact may result in both thermal and chemical burns. Second- and third-degree burns can be seen at the point of contact. When absorbed, phosphorus will act as a cellular poison by uncoupling oxidative phosphorylation. 

Many potential drugs must be highly targeted to be useful. Highly potent cellular poisons, for example, would be useful if they could be induced to attack only cancer cells. One novel treatment... 

A. The mechanism of borate poisoning is unknown. Boric acid is not highly corrosive, but is irritating to mucous membranes. It probably acts as a general cellular poison. Organ systems most commonly affected are the skin, gastrointestinal tract, brain, liver, and kidneys. 

I. Mechanism of toxicity. Colchicine inhibits mitosis of dividing cells and, In high concentrations, is a general cellular poison. Colchicine is rapidly absorbed and extensively distributed to body tissues (volume of distribution 2-20 L/kg). (See... 

II. Toxic dose. Inhalation or ingestion of as little as 1 mg of fluoroacetate is sufficient to cause serious toxicity. Death is likely after ingestion of mote than 5 mg/kg. Clinical presentation. After a delay of minutes to several hours (in one report coma was delayed 36 hours), manifestations of diffuse cellular poisoning become apparent nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, metabolic acidosis, renal failure, agitation, confusion, seizures, coma, respiratory arrest, pulmonary edema, and ventricular arrhythmias may occur. One case series reported a high incidence of hypocalcemia and hypokalemia. 

There are two naturally occurring types of elemental phosphoms red and yellow. Red phosphorus is not absorbed and is essentially nontoxic, in contrast, yellow phosphorus (also called white phosphorus) is a highly toxic cellular poison. Yei-low/white phosphorus is a colorless or yellow wax-like crystaiiine solid, with a garliclike odor, and is almost insoluble in water. Although no longer a component of matches, yellow/white phosphorus is still used in the manufacture of fireworks and fertilizer and as a rodenticide. 

A. Phosphorus is highly corrosive and is also a general cellular poison. Cardiovascular collapse occurring after ingestion probably results not only from fluid loss owing to vomiting and diarrhea but also from direct toxicity on the heart and vascular tone. 

I. Mechanism of toxicity. The mechanism of thallium toxicity is not known. It appears to affect a variety of enzyme systems, resulting in generalized cellular poisoning. Thallium metabolism has some similarities to that of potassium, and it may inhibit potassium flux across biological membranes by binding to Na-K ATP transport enzymes. 

Arsenic (CAS 7440-38-2) irritating to eyes and skin hyperplgmenta-tion, hyperkeratoses, and skin cancers have been dexribed. A general cellular poison. May cause bone marrow suppression, peripheral neuropathy, and gastrointestinal, liver, and cardiac injury. Some arsenic compounds have adverse effects on fetal development in test animals. Exposure linked to skin, respiratory tract, and liver cancer in workers (IARC 1). See also p 115. 0.01 mg/m (as As) A1 OSHACA NIOSH CA 5 mg/m (as As) Elemental forms vary In appearance. Crystals are gray. Amorphous fomes may be yellow or black. Vapor pressure is very low—about 1 mm Hg at 372°C (701°F). 

Both linamarin and amygdalin are toxic compounds because they are metabolized to cyanohydrins, which are hydrolyzed to carbonyl compounds and toxic HCN gas, a cellular poison with a characteristic almond odor. This second step is merely the reconversion of a cyanohydrin to a carbonyl compound, a process that occurs with base in reactions run in the laboratory (Section 21.9A). If cassava root is processed with care, linamarin is enzymatically metabolized by this reaction sequence and the toxic HCN is released before the root is ingested, making it safe to eat. 

Penicillium expansum Patulin (IV) 35 mg/kg Cellular poison Putiifying fruits. 

The cellular poisoning effects are attributed to the inhibition of cellular enzyme systems (Watson and Griffin, 1992),... 

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