Paralyzing, skin-burning, kidney-destroying...welcome
to our list of the world’s top 5 strangest, and most deadly, poisons. First up: the manchineel tree. This tree is often called “poison guava”
in English and arbol de la muerte--tree of death--in Spanish. It produces a thick sap that oozes out of
its fruit, leaves, and bark, and touching it will leave you with blisters that you’d
expect from a severe burn. If it’s raining, DO NOT STAND UNDER THIS
TREE. One of the toxic compounds in that sap is
water-soluble, which means it can dissolve in those raindrops and land on you. The most toxic compound in the tree, phorbol,
interacts with a family of enzymes that modifies proteins and affects what messages are sent
throughout our cells. Phorbol binds to these enzymes and causes
an irreversible change so they’re left “ON” and sending those messages becomes a total
mess. This can lead to severe inflammation -- hence
the burn. Exposure to phorbol can cause some swelling,
skin and throat burns, chest tightness, and, if you eat it, uh… death. And there’s no doctor-approved antidote,
so steer clear. This frog is super cute, right? Wrong. Well, OK, yeah fine it’s cute, but also...it’ll
kill you. Its skin is covered in fluid that contains
batrachotoxin. Batrachotoxin binds to sodium channels on
your nerve cells and keeps them from closing. Permanently. This throws off their ability to send chemical
signals to your heart and central nervous system, which will paralyze and maybe even
kill you. And, again there’s no antidote. Ricin made headlines in the late 1970s murder
of a Bulgarian journalist. An assassin shot a tiny pellet covered in
ricin out of the tip of an umbrella...into his leg. Ricin is a highly toxic protein in castor
beans. You’d only come in contact with it if you
chewed the bean or breathed in castor bean powder… both highly unlikely. Ricin stops our cells from creating new protein
by permanently blocking the activity of ribosomes--those cellular machines we need to make all the
protein in our cells. When a cell stops making protein it’ll die. If you inhale ricin, within a few hours you’ll
have a fever, start coughing, and your lungs will stop working. If you eat it, you’ll have severe vomiting
and diarrhea, and your organs will quickly shut down. Either way, without immediately seeking medical
attention, you won’t live long. And, sorry, no antidote for this one either. And then there’s gold. But not elemental gold--gold salts like these. Gold salts are used to treat rheumatoid arthritis,
a disease where your immune system attacks itself, inflaming your joints. The gold salts auranofin and sodium aurothiomalate
decrease inflammation by blocking the immune response. But you don’t want too much gold in your
system because it can cause vomiting and diarrhea, and mess with your kidneys. Lower amounts over a long time can permanently
turn your skin purplish-gray. And, hey guess what, there may be an antidote
for this one! Small molecules called chelators that bind
really tightly to metal ions can be used, but they’re not always effective. And now we’ve reached the most toxic substance
known to humankind: the protein botulinum toxin made by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Botulinum toxin causes a disease called botulism. Canned goods contaminated with C. botulinum
are usually the culprit, because the bacteria can grow in places without oxygen. Your body uses a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine
to help nerve cells talk to other cell types, like muscle cells. Botulinum toxin blocks acetylcholine, which
prevents muscle movement... and that’s dangerous for a lot of reasons. You’ll see the first symptoms of botulism
in someone’s face, as muscles that control their eyes and mouth begin to weaken. That paralysis will only spread further down
their body, eventually damaging muscles they need to breathe. If you don’t get medical attention right
away, it’ll kill you. The good news? There is an antitoxin! The bad news? It won’t fix the damage already done to
your body. All it will do is stop further damage. Because botulinum toxin keeps muscles from
contracting, people inject it into their faces to stop wrinkles from forming. It’s called Botox. And yes, it is super super diluted but it’s
still the most toxic substance on Earth. It’s a crazy world we live in. If you suspect that you or someone you’re
with has been poisoned, immediately call the number at the bottom of the screen or go to
webpoisoncontrol.org.
