The widespread news about a woman who died after consuming coffee, in a restaurant in Central Jakarta, has made some people wonder what caused her death. It has been confirmed that the coffee the woman drank contained cyanide. Then, how can cyanide kill?
now, before finding out why cyanide can be so dangerous, we must first identify what cyanide is. Cyanide itself is actually an insecticide and pesticide. However, when used as a poison, cyanide is a poison that can work and spread quickly, and has the potential to be deadly. And if it enters the stomach of a person with a sufficiently high stomach acidity, cyanide will react at a higher level.
Not everyone can smell cyanide, because basically cyanide doesn't always give off an odor. Even if it smells, cyanide will smell like bitter almonds. The form of cyanide itself is also diverse. Starting from potassium cyanide (KCN) and sodium cyanide (NaCN) in the form of crystals, as well as colorless gases such as cyanogen chloride (CNCI) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN).
There are various ways cyanide can enter your body and harm you. Among others, by touching the ground containing cyanide, drinking water that has been contaminated with cyanide, through the air, by smoking, or even by eating foods that contain cyanide.
What Happens If You Are Exposed to Cyanide?
If a person is exposed to small amounts of cyanide, the person will experience several symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, feeling restless, rapid breathing, fast heart rate, and feeling weak. However, not everyone who has some of these symptoms has cyanide poisoning.
Another case if someone has been exposed to cyanide in large quantities. He may experience a slowed heart rate, loss of consciousness, seizures, damage to the lungs, low blood pressure, and respiratory failure leading to death.
How Can Cyanide Kill?
now, if you're starting to wonder why cyanide can be so dangerous, here's why.
- How much cyanide enters the body, and how long the person is exposed to the poison greatly affects the effect of cyanide in the body. The fatal dose of cyanide is 1.5mg/kg human body. Imagine if someone consumes more than the lethal dose.
- When cyanide enters the body, it prevents the cells in the body from using oxygen. So that the cells in the body will die.
- The organs that will be most damaged are the brain and heart. Because compared to other organs of the body, these two organs are the organs that use the most oxygen.
In addition to cyanide that enters the mouth through food, cyanide gas is no less dangerous. In fact, the most dangerous compared to other types. This gas may not be too dangerous in the open, as it can diffuse and evaporate. But it is different if the gas is in a closed room.
Actually, cyanide is also found in foods that you may encounter everyday. However, of course still in low numbers. For example, in almonds, apricot seeds, orange seeds, apple seeds, cassava, bamboo shoots, lima beans, tapioca, and holes in fruit. In addition, cyanide is also found in vehicle fumes, cigarette smoke, several types of algae, bacteria, and fungi.
Although cyanide is found in several types of food that you may encounter on a daily basis, it can actually be said to be quite safe as long as you process it properly. Generally, the lethal effects of cyanide can occur by accident or on purpose. Its lethal effect is quite fast and is often used as a tool to terrorize or even kill someone.