Whole blood cyanide

Venous blood levels of cyanide reached a steady state (mean value, 200 g/100 mL) within 10 min of exposure of cynomolgus monkeys at 100-156 ppm (Purser et al. 1984). The blood level stayed constant during the remainder of the 30-min exposure, during which time the animals lost consciousness the blood level remained the same for 1 h after exposure, even though the monkeys recovered consciousness within 10 min. The mean concentration of whole blood cyanide in rabbits that died following inhalation exposure was 170 pg/100 mL the mean plasma concentration was 48 figHOO mL (Ballantyne 1983). 

Several studies provided data on blood and urine concentrations of cyanide and thiocyanate following occupational exposures at low concentrations. These values are generally similar to those of smokers who have not been occupationally exposed to HCN. Whole-blood cyanide concentrations during... 

TABLE 19.4. Whole blood cyanide levels and clinical signs and symptoms... 

Whole blood cyanide level concentrations (mg/mL) Effect on body... 

TABLE 23.4 Whole Blood Cyanide Levels and Clinical Signs and Symptoms... 

A case in which cyanide concentration is higher than the normal reference range (0.02-0.05 /U.g/mL) in whole blood, or cyanide is detected in environmental samples. The case can be confirmed if laboratory testing is not performed because either a predominant... 

Whole blood, 1-2 mg free cyanide/L Whole blood, 2.6-3.1 mg total CN/L... 

Whole blood, 4-45 mg total CN/L Whole body, 7 mg HCN/kg BW Daily dietary intake of 15-31.5 mg hydrogen cyanide from cassava... 

Krynitsky, A.J., S.N. Wiemeyer, E.F. Hill, and J.W. Carpenter. 1986. Analysis of cyanide in whole blood of dosed cathartids. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 5 787-789. 

BOX 1-1 WHOLE BLOOD LEVELS OF CYANIDE IN MONITORING AND NITROPRUSSIDE THERAPY STUDIES Leeser et al. (1990) ... 

Distribution. Cyanide is rapidly distributed by the blood throughout the body. In a study using orally administered radioactively labelled potassium cyanide, radioactivity detected in whole blood or plasma decreased rapidly within 6 hours. Of the low levels of radioactivity detected in the red blood cells, about 94% of the radioactivity recovered was found in the hemolysate of which 70% was detected in the heme fraction, 14-25% in globin, and only 5-10% in cell membranes (Farooqui and Ahmed 1982). Yamamoto et al. (1982) determined that the pattern of distribution of cyanide did not vary with the concentration used. Ballantyne (1983b) observed higher cyanide levels in whole blood than in serum in rabbits exposed dermally to hydrogen cyanide, potassium cyanide, and sodium cyanide. See Section 2.3.2.1 for specific studies on cyanide tissue distribution. 

Blood and liver Treatment of HCN released from sample digestion with lead acetate and absorption with NaOH Specific ion electrode (total cyanide) 5 pg/L 100-109 (whole blood, 0.3-130 ppb) Egekeze and Oehme 1979... 

Pettigrew AR, Fell GS. 1973. Microdiffusion method for estimation of cyanide in whole blood and its application to the study of conversion of cyanide to thiocyanate. Clin Chem 19 466-471. 

Creasey and Green 29 reported that II is soluble in water to the extent of 1 g In 2 ml like I, it is more stable in aqueous solution at low pH, the pH of maximal stability being 4-5. When II in a solution at a pH of 4.5 had been freeze-dried and stored in a sealed glass container for 6 mo, no cyanide was detectable in the container when it was opened. Similar treatment of a solution at a pH of 6.0 resulted in detection of cyanide by odor when the container was opened. Heat sterilization of an aqueous solution of II was found to result in the formation of small amounts of cyanide and in a change in the color of the solution from pale yellow to orangebrown. A homogenate of liver from the rat was found to decompose II slowly other biologic samples (whole blood, kidney, skeletal muscle, urine, and feces) did not. 

A. Ishii, H. Seno, K. Watanabe-Suzuki, O. Suzuki and T. Kumazawa, Determination of cyanide in whole blood by capillary gas chromatography with cryogenic oven trapping, Anal. Chem., 70, 4873-4876 (1998). 

A.M. Calafat and S.B. Stanfill, Rapid quantitation of cyanide in whole blood by automated headspace gas chromatography, J. Chromatogr., B, 111, 131-137 (2002). 

Colorimetric Assay for Cyanide in Serum or Whole Blood... 

Cyanide may be lost or produced during storage of whole blood samples should be stored at 4° and analysed as soon as possible. Cyanide concenhations may decrease significantly after deadi. 

A technique to detect cyanide currently utilized by water treatment facilities was employed to rapidly detect concentrations of cyanide in the clinically important range (Rella et al, 2004). The CYANTESMO test strips accurately and rapidly detect cyanide greater than 1 pg/ml. A paper test for cyanide (CYANTOSNO) in whole blood is now commercially available in the USA (Ellenhom et al, 1997). 

Barr, S., The microdetermination of cyanide. Its applicability to the analysis of whole blood. Analyst, 91, 268-274, 1996. 

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