The first time my lecturer taught us about cyanide and the impact it has on the body, I went back home to tell my Mum about the reason why we need to stop taking some food items because my lecturer told us how poisonous they were to the body, my mother laughed and said, your lecture was speaking only to the wealthy kids amongst you and definitely not to all of you. A lot of low-income earners in Africa are left with no other option than to feed their families with what they can afford rather than what is really healthy for their bodies.
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What exactly is cyanide?
Cyanide has the possibility of existing in different forms, it is a potentially deadly chemical that could form in the form of a colorless gas, it is not in all cases that everyone can detect this odor of cyanide but some people can detect the fact that it comes with an off-color, but not everyone has the ability to detect the odor.
Cyanide gets released from some form of natural substances in some food, it can also be released from some plants, examples are; lime, beans, and almonds. The seed of some fruit also releases cyanide, apples, peaches, and apricots contain a huge amount of chemicals that are metabolized into cyanide, although the edible part of the examples listed above has the ability to release just a minute amount of the chemicals.
Cigarette contains cyanide, and the process of combustion of plastic materials also come with the production of cyanide.
In the case of swallowing the chemical that should be used for the removal of artificial nails, it could get metabolized in the body and produce cyanide.
However, cyanide is not totally bad because it is used in the manufacturing industry for the production of textiles, paper, and even plastics, it is also found present in the chemical used for the development of photographs. Cyanide salt is also responsible for the removal of gold from its ore, as well as a metal cleaning and metallurgy for the electroplating process. In ships and buildings, cyanide gas is used for the extermination of pests and vermin.
The level at which cyanide poisons the body is extremely associated with the amount of exposure it has gotten, the path towards exposure, and the time frame of the exposure as well.
Cyanide gas is more dangerous in an enclosed region where the gas is trapped.
Cyanide prevents the cell of the body from making use of oxygen, when this happens, the cell dies automatically.
Cyanide gas is less dense than air, this increases the possibility of it rising.
The bad effect of cyanide, is more harmful to the brain and to the heart than other organs of the body and it is because the brain makes use of a lot of oxygen.
Cyanide in the body prevents the cell of the body from using oxygen, when this happens, the cell dies automatically. 1
The possibility of getting exposed to cyanide is linked with;
- Breathing air.
- Eating food
- Touching the soil that contains cyanide.
- Smocking cigarette.
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How do you know that you may have been exposed to cyanide?
When there is mild exposure to cyanide, regardless of the route of exposure it could either be, absorption through the skin, or consuming food that contains cyanide, then these symptoms and signs are associated with the poison.
Dizziness: Dizziness is a general term used to define the feeling of serious sensation, feeling weak and unsteady and feeling woozy, with the feeling of dizziness, it will look like the surroundings and everything around seems to be in a moving circle when in the reality of events nothing like that is actually happening. While dizziness is common amongst adults, it could also be a result of a life-threatening condition that needs urgent medical attention, especially when it is occurring on a regular base, so it shouldn't be taken for granted at all. 2
Weakness: The feeling of being weak is associated with a decrease in the strength of one's muscles in the most strict sense. With a weak body, there will be trouble with performing daily tasks like writing and grooming and in some cases, there could as well be an issue with the maintenance of balance. 3
Headache: Headache is a really common experience that happens to people many times in their lives, headache is closely associated with feeling pains on the face or on the head region, which could either be a dull, throbbing, or a constant type of pain. 4
Nausea and vomiting:Feeling nauseous or actually vomiting is not an infection on its own, instead, it is a symptom that describes different conditions. Nausea comes with the uneasiness of the stomach before vomiting, and vomiting in itself is the act of voluntary or involuntary emptying of the contents of the stomach through the mouth, through an act described as throwing up.5
Rapid Heart Rate and even fast breath: This condition is often referred to as tachycardia, making the heartbeat of a person go for 100 beats every minute, this condition could pose serious danger, depending on the underlying cause of the situation. Tachycardia can increase the possibility of having a stroke, developing heart failure, sudden cardiac arrest, and death as a result.6
However, being exposed to a large level of cyanide poison comes with serious health issues like;
- Lung injury.
- Convulsion.
- Respiratory failure.
- Slow heart rate.
- Low blood pressure. and
- Absence of consciousness.
We need also bear in mind that, showing these symptoms does not necessarily mean it is a result of being exposed to cyanide poisoning.
In a case of being exposed to cyanide, you should do these as fast as you can;
- Once you get exposed to cyanide through the air, one of the first symptoms you will experience is difficulty breathing, if it was released in a closed environment, leave there immediately and sort for fresh air, if it was released in an open environment, move away from the area and stay low to the ground as much as you can.
If you feel your body may have been exposed to cyanide, quickly take off your cloth as it may have cyanide, do not pull off the cloth over the head, if that is the only possible way to get the cloth off, then cut it instead. quickly wash up your body with soap and water.
If you have blurred vision or your eyes are burning, rinse with plain/neat water for about 10-15 minutes, if you are putting on contact at the time of occurrence, take it off and dispose of it with the contaminated cloth, do not put back the contract after it has been taken off. If you had eyeglasses on at the time of the incident, wash them with soap and water and put them back on after that.
Gladly, cyanide poisoning can be treated with antidotes and other medical attention given in the hospital. Antidotes for cyanide poisoning are more effective as soon as they are taken, it is best to always seek medical attention as soon as there is an occurrence of the poison. 7
How to avoid cyanide poisoning in food.
My lecturer was speaking about cassava flakes what we generally call ''garri'' over here, it is a common household food for every low-income earner because it is very cheap, while it may not be a bad thing to consume cassava flakes, the process of preparation by business women who are only about making a profit, makes it contain some toxic cyanide substances. Anyone can produce cassava flakes from the comfort of their home and take it to the market without any form of supervision whatsoever, they do not wait for complete processing since there is no agency providing rules to follow the standard of production.
The normal process for processing cassava flakes (garri), is done by soaking, grating, dewatering, fermenting, and roasting (in no specific order). Going through all these processes appropriately would reduce significantly the amount of cyanide contained in the cassava product, but unfortunately, most producers do not wait for all these processes to get complete adequately, they are only concerned about the fast profit they can make.
My lecturer advised that, if we must consume cassava flakes, we should do so with other proteinous substances like fish and milk just to ensure that we are taking in something balanced and the level of toxicity from the cassava flakes will definitely be reduced.
- Do not eat raw seed or apple stones.
- Maintain a healthy food habit.
- Buy food from only credible suppliers.
- Producers, should adhere to strict food policy.
Conclusion .
We need to avoid cyanide substances as much as possible, the effects may not show up now but they will definitely come up in the future, we should try our best to consume only balanced meals and avoid poisonous substances.
For further studies.
https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/cyanide/basics/facts.asp
https://www.medicinenet.com/weakness/symptoms.htm
https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/digestive-diseases-nausea-vomiting
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/175241#definition
Hi, I am Tobi a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people. Want to hear me speak on relationships and general life issues, you can find my podcast channel Here and I also have a youtube channel where you can listen and watch any episode for free, do not forget to subscribe and share with friends. I sincerely appreciate every love I get from members of the community and do well to keep them coming.