Powders, toxins

Environmental samples from munitions or swabs from environmental materials should be placed in sealed glass or Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene, manufactured by Du Pont Polymers, Wilmington, Delaware) containers, and kept dry and as cold as possible. Caution Handling a dry or powdered toxin can be very dangerous because the toxin may adhere to skin and clothing and could be inhaled. 

The bacterial culture converts a portion of the supplied nutrient into vegetative cells, spores, crystalline protein toxin, soluble toxins, exoenzymes, and metabolic excretion products by the time of complete sporulation of the population. Although synchronous growth is not necessary, nearly simultaneous sporulation of the entire population is desired in order to obtain a uniform product. Depending on the manner of recovery of active material for the product, it will contain the insolubles including bacterial spores, crystals, cellular debris, and residual medium ingredients plus any soluble materials which may be carried with the fluid constituents. Diluents, vehicles, stickers, and chemical protectants, as the individual formulation procedure may dictate, are then added to the harvested fermentation products. The materials are used experimentally and commercially as dusts, wettable powders, and sprayable liquid formulations. Thus, a... 

Due to the extraordinary toxicity of intact ribosome-inactivating toxins like ricin, abrin, and modeccin, purification and handling of these proteins must be done with extreme care. Even dust from crude seed powders or lyophilized proteins should be considered dangerous. During... 

All toxins are nonvolatile. Once the initial aerosol has settled, there is minimal inhalation hazard unless the toxin is released as an aerosolized powder that has been modified to increase the potential of reaerosolization. Solubility in water depends on the specific toxin, presence of solvents, and isolation as salts. 

Small areas Extreme care must be exercised when dealing with dry or powdered agents as toxins may adhere to the skin or clothing and then be spread to other areas. Because of the minute quantities needed to produce a response in an exposed individual, cross contamination can pose a significant inhalation or puncture hazard later. 

Extreme care must be exercised when dealing with dry or powdered agents as toxins may adhere to the skin or clothing and present an inhalation hazard. 

Delayed-action paralytic neurotoxins that block the release of acetylcholine causing a symmetric, descending flaccid paralysis of motor and autonomic nerves. Paralysis always begins with the cranial nerves. Toxins are obtained from an anaerobic bacteria (Clostridium botulinum). Toxin A is a white powder or crystalline solid that is readily soluble in water. It is stable for up to 7 days as an aqueous solution. All toxins are destroyed by heat and decompose when exposed to air for more than 12 h. 

Arkansas Resident Charged with Possession of Ricin — Canadian customs officials intercepted a man carrying a stack of currency. A white powder was interspersed between the bills. Suspecting cocaine, customs personnel had the material analyzed and discovered that it was ricin, a strong toxin, and not cocaine. The Arkansas resident was charged with possession of ricin in violation of the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989. 

Adsorbent powders are nonabsorbable materials with a large surface area. These bind diverse substances, including toxins, permitting them to be inactivated and eliminated. Medicinal charcoal possesses a particularly large surface because of the preserved cell structures. The recommended effective antidiarrheal dose is in the range of 4-8 g. Other adsorbents are kaolin (hydrated aluminum silicate) and chalk. 

Powder for injection (vacuum-dried) 100 units of vacuum-dried Clostridium botulinum toxin type A neurotoxin complex- (Rx)... 

The toxin will precipitate as a dull yellow powder. Filter the precipitate and re-dissolve in the smallest amount of chloroform. Repeat steps 5 6. 

Pack the toxin of choice into the capsule. You may want to add an anticoagulant to keep the blood flowing. It may help to dampen the powder slightly to aid compaction, then dry it out. 

Stop Two - Use a hypodermic syringe with the needle filed fiat, to inject the proper amount of toxin into the bullet. Only liquid toxins are suitable for this, one of the best being nicotine. Solutions of solid toxins also as aconitine or colchicine (i.e.-low dosage) are also excellent. Cyanides are not very good as they have a tendency to decompose rather rapidly when in Nolution. Any cyanide-filled bullets would therefore have an uncertain shelf life. To make the solutions needeed from a powdered poison, measure the dose of powder into a test tube and add the appropriate solvent drop by drop until all of the powder is dis-... 

To Load - Remove the needle s protection cap and squeeze the tube flat. Place the tip of the needle into the container of toxin and release pressure from the tube. The toxin will be drawn into the tube by vacuum. Leave a little airspace in the tube for possible expansion of the liquid. The toxin used should be a thin liquid such as nicotine or a solution of a powdered poison in the appropriate solvent. Avoid alcohol, if possible, since this will probably sting quite a bit upon injection. 

KaoUn powder and other hydrated aluminum silicate clays, often combined with pectin (a complex carbohydrate), are the most widely used adsorbent powders (e.g., Kaopectate). Kaolin is a naturally occurring hydrated aluminum silicate that is prepared for medicinal use as a very finely divided powder. The rationale behind its use in acute nonspecific diarrhea stems from its ability to adsorb some of the bacterial toxins that often cause the condition. It is almost harmless and is effective in many cases of diarrhea if taken in large enough doses (2-10 g initially, followed by the same amount after every bowel movement). The adsorbents are generally safe, but they may interfere with the absorption of some drugs from the GI tract. 

Parenteral Powder for solution, 100 units/vial Botulinum toxin type (Myobloc)... 

Cholera toxin B subunit-biotin labeled (lyophilized powder, biotin content 0.9mol/mol protein), peroxidase-labeled IgG anti-rabbit antibody (HRP-Ab, from goat, protein content 0.8mg/ml, affinity isolated antibody), anti-cholera toxin (from rabbit, protein content 48mg/ml, purified toxin from Vibrio cholerae), biotin monoclonal anti-rabbit IgG -y-chain specific (from mouse, protein content 4.2mg/ml), glucose oxidase-biotinamidocaproyl labeled (GOX-B, from Aspergillus niger, lyophilized powder containing 40-70% protein, 137 U/mg), polyoxyeth-ylene-sorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20), bovine serum albumin (fraction... 

Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (commonly known as Bt) is an insecticidal bacterium discovered in the early 20th century. The commercial Bt products are powders containing a mixture of dried spores and crystalline 8-endotoxin, but some contain only the toxin component. Both spores and toxin crystals are produced within the bacterial vegetative cell by Bt (Figure 4.12). Currently, there are six strains that possess specific activity against different insect species as follows ... 

Several strains of the Bacillus thuringiensis are pathogenic to some insects. The bacterial organisms are cultured, then harvested in spore form for use as insecticide. Production methods vary widely. Proteinaceous and nu-cleotide-like toxins generated by the vegetative forms (which infect insects) are responsible for the insecticidal effect. The spores are formulated as wettable powders, flowable concentrates and granules for application to field crops and for control of mosquitoes and black flies. 

Animal studies have shown cadmium to be a teratogen and a reproductive toxin however, the results of mutagenesis experiments are equivocal. Cadmium produced local sarcomas in a number of rodent species when the metal, sulfide, oxide, or salts were administered subcutaneously. Intramuscular injection of cadmium powder and cadmium sulfate also produced local sarcomas. Injection of cadmium chloride into the ventral prostate resulted in a low incidence of prostatic carcinoma. Exposure via inhalation of cadmium chloride produced a dose-dependent increase in lung carcinomas in rats. 

---