Botulinum toxin, a poison produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria, is the most toxic naturally occurring substance on Earth, blocking nerve signals to muscles to cause death by paralysis.
Pål Stenmark regards botulinum toxin – the world's most dangerous poison – as a set of building blocks he can redesign and give new functions. One aim is to produce new and more effective pharmaceuticals, including pain treatments.
Understanding the nature of the top five chemicals that resulted in injuries can help researchers effectively target reductions in morbidity and mortality. Carbon monoxide and ammonia by far caused the most injuries, deaths, and evacuations and therefore need more attention toward prevention.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women.
A substance is considered extremely toxic if it has an LD50 of less than 5 mgs/kg of animal body weight. To humans, this is the equivalent of a taste (less than 7 drops).
Botulinum toxin
Scientists differ about the relative toxicities of substances, but they seem to agree that botulinum toxin, produced by anaerobic bacteria, is the most toxic substance known. Its LD50 is tiny – at most 1 nanogram per kilogram can kill a human.
Low levels of cyanides are found in nature and in products we commonly eat and use. Cyanides can be produced by certain bacteria, fungi and algae. Cyanides are also found in cigarette smoke, in vehicle exhaust, and in foods such as spinach, bamboo shoots, almonds, lima beans, fruit pits and tapioca.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gas that can kill you quickly. It is called the “silent killer” because it is colorless, odorless, tasteless and non- irritating. If the early signs of CO poisoning are ignored, a person may lose consciousness and be unable to escape the danger.
A highly hazardous chemical, also called a harsh chemical, is a substance classified by the American Occupational Safety and Health Administration as material that is both toxic and reactive and whose potential for human injury is high if released.
In 2019, drug overdose deaths totaled 70,630, an increase of 4.8% from 67,367 in 2018 (1,2). Since 2009, an increasing proportion of drug overdose deaths have been caused by opioids, which accounted for 70.6% of all drug overdose deaths in 2019.
Botulinum toxins, exotoxins of Clostridium botulinum, are the most toxic naturally occurring substances known to man.
Hypertoxic. A term that refers to either the production of an extreme amount of toxin (poison) or a toxin that causes more harm than normally encountered.
A toxic person is someone who brings conflict and negativity to your life. They're often controlling, manipulative, and even abusive. Protect yourself by setting and maintaining boundaries and focusing your energy on relationships that are supportive.
Fresh air (not water) is least toxic. Why? Because humans cannot overdose on air (or drown in it, or be choked by it), and can breathe it throughout the range of ambient temperatures they can otherwise survive.
Heart disease remained the top killer in the U.S. in 2023, accounting for 22% of all deaths after accounting for 21.4% of deaths in 2022. The 2023 death rate for heart disease marked a roughly 3% decline over 2022's rate.