toxic substances

2022

What are toxic substances?
Classification of toxic substances
Examples of toxic substances
Toxic substances in the home

We explain what toxic substances are, what their toxicity is due to and their classification. Also, toxic substances in the home.

Carbon monoxide is a toxic substance that we produce when we use fuels.

What are toxic substances?

Toxic substances are those substances capable of causing detrimental effects on a organism alive by coming into contact with it or by being ingested. A toxic substance is any compound endowed with toxicity, capable of producing intoxications.

From the oldest treatises of Health The effect of poisons and toxins, as well as their relationship with concentration and dose, is known since practically any known substance is capable of producing intoxications, provided it is administered in the appropriate dose.

Huge amounts of commonly vital elements such as oxygen, or compounds common to the life As the carbon dioxideThey can be toxic in large quantities, while other elements require very minimal doses to do much damage to the body.

The toxicity of a substance depends on three factors:

Its chemical characteristics. Depending on the composition of the substance, it will produce some or other effects in the body and these effects may be more or less counteractive.
The dose in which it is. This involves the amount of the compound, but also its concentration. It is not the same to take a teaspoon of almost pure kerosene, than a whole can. In this case, taking the bottle implies greater toxicity for the body. Nor is it the same to take a teaspoon of almost pure kerosene, than a drum of a solution of 0.0005ml of kerosene in 1l of Water. In the latter case, it will be taking more volume from liquid when we take the drum, but with less kerosene content than what is contained in the teaspoon, that is to say, we would practically be drinking water because the solution would be very dilute, and taking the teaspoon would imply greater toxicity for the organism.
The characteristics of the exposed organism. Certain substances can be very toxic to one organism and not to another, and there may be organisms individually sensitized to a substance (as in the case of allergies). For example, insecticides are lethal substances for insects, but not for the human being (although they can cause allergic reactions).

On the other hand, the effects of a toxic substance in an organism depend on its exposure to it, understood as:

Serious exposure. It occurs when the individual is exposed to the substance only once, generally in high doses, which can cause serious and irreversible damage, or the death.
Chronic exposure. It occurs when the individual is exposed to the substance over a period of time, usually in small doses.

Classification of toxic substances

Tobacco contains various carcinogenic toxic substances.

One of the ways to classify toxic substances is according to their effect on the body that is exposed to them, as follows:

Poisonous substances. They are those that, upon entering the body, cause damage that leads to death, due to their ability to affect the functioning of the body. They tend to have localized effects in the body: hemotoxic (in the blood), neurotoxic (the brain), hepatotoxic (the liver), etc.
Irritating or corrosive substances. They are those that, when in contact with the body, cause superficial damage, such as irritations, burns or loss of tissue (corrosion). In many cases, it is enough to inhale them to suffer burns in the respiratory tract.
Carcinogenic substances. They are those that usually cause the appearance of tumors and cancers in the body, because they interfere with the DNA and the cell reproduction
Mutagenic substances. They are those capable of altering the DNA of cells of the body and produce mutations spontaneous, whose effects can be unsuspected: from diseases and ailments, to deformations and motor disorders genetically transmissible to the offspring.
Toxic substances for reproduction. They are those capable of producing total or partial infertility, or of spontaneously interrupting a pregnancy, or even of causing malformations in the fetus.

Examples of toxic substances

Cyanide toxicity has catastrophic environmental consequences.

Some examples of toxic substances are:

Carbon monoxide (CO). When entering the bloodstream, it prevents the transport of oxygen by the molecule of hemoglobin.
Cyanide (CN–). This anion affects the action of enzymes fundamental in the transport of oxygen and is a very aggressive poison for living organisms.
Heavy metals. The ions from metals heavy (such as Pb2 + and Hg2 +) react with the -SH groups that form disulfide bridges in the protein. This causes denaturation (loss of higher order structures) of many proteins, which causes the loss of their biological function. macromolecules.
Asbestos Also known as asbestos, it is a compound of silicate crystals, capable of causing lung diseases and inducing cancer.
Arsenic (As). Is a chemical element which, despite being in some vital organic compounds, is generally poisonous since it reacts with proteins easily, and is distributed in less than 24 hours in various organs of the body and causing their failure.
The lead (Pb) and its derivatives. When this chemical element is chronically consumed (commonly used in the industries) is associated with cases of anemia, infertility, damage to the kidneys and the nervous system.
Vinyl chloride. Used in plumbing and injection plastics, can cause drowsiness and irritation of the mucous membranes when inhaled, and eventually liver cancer and skin lesions.