Poisoning (non-therapeutic agents)

Carbon monoxide: causes:

• acute hypoxic injury to brain, - fuel fumes, exhausts liver and renal tubules cherry red skin and mucosae
• chronic diffuse neuronal loss especially basal ganglia. Rarely, causes focal cerebral demyelination. Cyanide - industrial or hypoxic injury to brain, liver, from burning plastics, kidneys etc wool or silk Lead - industrial or brain, kidney and marrow damage from flakes of old paint Hydrocarbons
• chlorinated hyperexcitability, delirium, - insecticides convulsions and coma
• alcohols - methanol, inebriation (methanol) solvents, antifreeze blindness from retinal gangion cell necrosis
• volatile - petrol, pneumonitis if inhaled, thinners, venticular fibrillation carbon tetrachloride etc Mercury
• organic - eating fish Minamata disease: brain damage, from polluted water deafness,blindness, spasticity and paralysis
• inorganic - industrial, glomerular necrosis, emotional ingested batteries lability, tremor (mad hatter, hatters' shakes) Toadstool toxins vomiting, abdominal cramps,
• Amanita phalloides lethal CNS damage, liver and renal
• A.muscaria rarely fatal tubule necrosis Organophosphates paralysis, muscle twitching
• insecticides cardiac arrhythmias

ref: Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease 5e 1994