What happens if you inhale cyanide

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Find an article or report by keywords: Enter Search Phrase. Find an article or report or see all by area, author, or year:. Year Background Cyanide is a naturally occurring chemical, found in many plants, that has been used in conventional warfare and poisoning for 2 millennia.

In , the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo placed cyanide in subway bathrooms. Mechanism of Action and Toxicokinetics Cyanide poisons the mitochondrial electron transport chain within cells and renders the body unable to derive energy adenosine triphosphate-ATP from oxygen.

Signs and Symptoms Cyanide kills quickly: death occurs within seconds of a lethal dose of cyanide gas and within minutes of ingestion of a lethal dose of cyanide salt. Signs and symptoms of cyanide poisoning include the following: CNS : headache, anxiety, agitation, confusion, lethargy, seizures, and coma; Cardiovascular : decreased inotropy, bradycardia followed by reflex tachycardia, hypotension, and pulmonary edema; and Other : acute lung injury, nausea and vomiting, cherry-red skin color.

Countermeasures Before cyanide antidote can be administered, the patient must be removed from the cyanide-laden area, clothing removed, and skin washed with soap and water. Cyanide Antidote Kit : This 3-component process comprising amyl nitrite, sodium nitrate, and sodium thiosulfate releases cyanide from cytochrome a3 by providing a target for which cyanide has a higher attraction.

Amyl nitrite, contained in pearls that must be broken and inhaled, and IV sodium nitrate cause the formation of methemoglobin, for which cyanide has a high binding affinity.

Sodium thiosulfate provides a source of sulfur that the enzyme rhodanese-the major pathway for metabolism of cyanide-utilizes to detoxify cyanide. Hydroxocobalamin Cyanokit : In addition to methemoglobin, cyanide also has a strong binding affinity to cobalt.

Hydroxocobalamin, which contains cobalt, becomes cyanocobalamin vitamin B12 after binding to cyanide. It is then excreted in the urine. If the release of cyanide gas was indoors, get out of the building. For more information on evacuation during a chemical emergency, see Facts About Evacuation. For more information on sheltering in place during a chemical emergency, see Facts About Sheltering in Place.

If you think you may have been exposed to cyanide, you should remove your clothing, rapidly wash your entire body with soap and water, and get medical care as quickly as possible. Removing your clothing: Quickly take off clothing that may have cyanide on it. Any clothing that has to be pulled over the head should be cut off the body instead of pulled over the head. If you are helping other people remove their clothing, try to avoid touching any contaminated areas, and remove the clothing as quickly as possible.

Washing yourself: As quickly as possible, wash any cyanide from your skin with large amounts of soap and water. Washing with soap and water will help protect people from any chemicals on their bodies. If your eyes are burning or your vision is blurred, rinse your eyes with plain water for 10 to 15 minutes.

If you wear contacts, remove them and put them with the contaminated clothing. Do not put the contacts back in your eyes even if they are not disposable contacts. If you wear eyeglasses, wash them with soap and water. You can put your eyeglasses back on after you wash them. If you are wearing jewelry that you can wash with soap and water, you can wash it and put it back on.

If it cannot be washed, it should be put with the contaminated clothing. Disposing of your clothes: After you have washed yourself, place your clothing inside a plastic bag. Avoid touching contaminated areas of the clothing. An alternative method is to put the clothes in the bag using tongs, tool handles, sticks, or similar objects. Anything that touches the contaminated clothing should also be placed in the bag. If you wear contacts, put them in the plastic bag, too.

Seal the bag, and then seal that bag inside another plastic bag. Disposing of your clothing in this way will help protect you and other people from any chemicals that might be on your clothes.

When the local or state health department or emergency personnel arrive, tell them what you did with your clothes. The health department or emergency personnel will arrange for further disposal. Do not handle the plastic bags yourself. Two antidotes sodium nitrite and sodium thiosulfate are usually used to stop the effects of serious cyanide poisoning. Other drugs may be necessary to control additional health effects of cyanide such as seizures. People who experience serious signs and symptoms will need immediate hospital care, especially individuals who have "passed out" or are unconscious.

Any delay could result in death. While an elevated blood cyanide concentration may indicate that someone has been exposed to cyanide, laboratory testing for cyanide exposure will not be useful in making emergency treatment decisions.

A patient exposed to cyanide should not expect medical personnel to do these tests before treatment. Treatment should not be delayed if signs and symptoms are present and exposure is believed to have occurred. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Toxicological Profile for Cyanide. Division of Toxicology, U. Department of Health and Human Services.

Medical Management Guidelines for Hydrogen Cyanide. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Emergency Preparedness and Response. Chemical Casualty Care Division. This fact sheet is based on the most current information.

It may be updated as new information becomes available. Navigation menu. What are cyanides? What are the properties of cyanide? How are cyanides used? How can people be exposed to cyanides? How does cyanide act in the body? What are the specific signs and symptoms of cyanide poisoning? What can you do if you think you may have been exposed to a release of cyanide? If you have been exposed to a release of cyanide, take the following steps: Quickly move away from the area where you think you were exposed.

If the release was indoors, go outdoors. If you are near a release of cyanide, emergency coordinators may tell you to either evacuate the area or to "shelter in place.