The Encyclopedia of Poisons and Antidotes, 3rd Edition (Facts on File Library of Health and Living)

337 Pages·2009·2.72 MB·English

by  Carol Turkington, Deborah Mitchell

The encyclopedia of
poisons and
anTidoTes
Third edition
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The encyclopedia of
poisons and
anTidoTes
Third edition
carol Turkington
and
deborah Mitchell
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The Encyclopedia of Poisons and Antidotes, Third Edition
Copyright © 2010, 1999 by Estate of Carol Turkington
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval
systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact:
Facts On File
An imprint of Infobase Publishing
132 West 31st Street
New York NY 10001
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Turkington, Carol.
The encyclopedia of poisons and antidotes / Carol Turkington with Deborah Mitchell ; foreword by
Shirley K. Osterhout. — 3rd ed.
p. ; cm. — (Facts on File library of health and living)
Rev. ed. of: The poisons and antidotes sourcebook. 2nd ed. c1999.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-6401-4 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-8160-6401-6 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Toxicological emergencies—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Poisoning—Handbooks, manuals, etc.
I. Mitchell, Deborah R. II. Turkington, Carol. Poisons and antidotes sourcebook. III. Title. IV. Series:
Facts on File library of health and living.
[DNLM: 1. Poisons—Encyclopedias—English. 2. Antidotes—Encyclopedias—English. QV 13 T939e 2010]
RA1224.5.T873 2010
615.9'08—dc22 2008050407
Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses,
associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York
at [phone] or [phone].
You can fnd Facts On File on the World Wide Web at http://www.factsonfle.com
Text and cover design by Cathy Rincon
Printed and bound in the United States of America
VB Hermitage 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is printed on acid-free paper and contains 30 percent postconsumer recycled content.
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conTenTs
acknowledgments vii
introduction ix
entries a to Z 1
appendixes
appendix i: home Testing Kits for Toxic substances 276
appendix ii: hotlines 278
appendix iii: newsletters 279
appendix iV: organizations 280
appendix V: poison education and information Materials 284
appendix Vi: Regional poison control centers 288
appendix Vii: Web sites 294
Glossary 296
References 298
index 306
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acKnoWledGMenTs
he author would like to thank the librarians national organizations, services, and government
Tat the National Library of Medicine and the agencies around the country concerned with toxi-
medical libraries of Hershey Medical Center, the cology and poisons. A special thank you to Heather
University of Pennsylvania Medical Center and Albright and Catie Fisher for valuable Internet
Reading Medical Center, the staffers at the National research assistance.
Institutes of Health and the countless people from
vii
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inTRoducTion
verything is poison, there is poison in today is often accidental and happens frequently
“Eeverything. Only the dose makes a thing in children, in whom poisoning is the fourth most
not a poison.” This quote, attributed to Paracelsus, common cause of death. Most accidental poison-
the Swiss physician and alchemist born in 1493 ings can be prevented simply by keeping harmful
who has been called the father of toxicology, still substances out of the reach of children. Other
rings true. It seems barely a day passes that we cases of poisoning can be avoided with a healthful
are not made aware of a new toxic substance that dose of knowledge and common sense, such as
threatens our children or are informed by the knowing which household chemicals should not
media about the dangers of toxins found in our be mixed, keeping certain plants away from pets,
food, air, and water. Poisons and toxic substances always wearing protective clothing when using
are commonplace in everyday modern life. pesticides or certain paint materials, and being
Yet poisons and other toxic substances have aware of toxins in the home and other environ-
been a subject of fascination since ancient times. ments that can cause insidious effects. Although
Archaeologists have found evidence that primitive antidotes are more available today than in the
humans used poisons with their hunting weapons past and scientists are always working to develop
to hasten the death of their prey. Humankind’s new ones, prevention will always be better than
great interest in poisons eventually extended to treatment.
ways they could be used against their own kind, This revised edition refects many changes in
and this use bred a great deal of fear, especially the world of toxicology. Foremost is new research
among people in positions of power who were in the feld that includes not only information on
afraid that poisons would be used against them. new toxic substances that can impact health but
One such individual was Mithridates VI, a king of important, updated data on former entries. Among
Pontus in ancient northern Turkey about 114 b.c. the many new entries are:
He was so paranoid about being poisoned that he
dedicated much of his life to fnding antidotes to • bisphenol: A potentially deadly toxin that is
known toxic substances of his time. He left behind found not only in canned foods but in the ubiq-
a wealth of notes about poisons and antidotes, uitous water bottles and baby toys, including
including the 54 ingredients of an antidote he had those children chew and suck on
concocted to ward off any attempts by his enemies
to poison him. • funitrazepam: Under the trade name of Rohyp-
Leap ahead several millennia to the 21st century nol, it is commonly used as a date rape drug
where people are exposed to literally tens of thou- • mold: It has always been around, but in recent
sands of poisonous and toxic substances, with new years it has become a huge health (and legal)
ones being introduced all the time. Being poisoned concern when it is found in homes, schools, and
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