Toxicity and the effects wrought upon people.

Toxins are famous as ways to poison people in Hollywood movies. In olden times, such as the age of Shakespeare, toxins would work as an assassin's weapon of choice. There's a multitude of poisons that range from quick acting and painless to slow, debilitating, crippling, and the most painful death you can ensure. (Let's try not to use poisons, shall we?) But where do these toxins derive from?


 Believe it or not, plants can have key ingredients to producing some of the most lethal toxins. Synthetic toxins, such as toxic waste from nuclear facilities, are made without plant involvement. The deadly poison Riccin derives from a plant source, Uranium rods do not. While radioactivity isn't directly classified as a poison, it is considered to be a lethal toxin. Radiation causes severe problems with human health, organ systems working properly, and basically everything else.

Riccin, a lethal toxin.

           The authors depicted in the citation below conducted a study for a toxin known quite well, and made famous by the hit series, Breaking Bad, called Ricin. The toxin is quite lethal, even a small dosage can kill a full grown human. Studies conducted on rats showed that interestingly enough, the toxin directly effects the RNA sequence. The toxin also directly derives the nucleosides of rats to the point that they are resistant to ribonucleosis, (class deduced of enzymes that break down and divide sequences of RNA). It is stated that the toxin is directly similar to abrin and modeccin, toxins related to ricin in the same Family. These toxins are interesting in the way they modify RNA sequence and cripple the host at the same time.

   Endo, Y., Mitsui, K., Motozuki, M., & Tsurugi, K. (1987, April 25). The mechanism of action of ricin and related toxic lectins on eukaryotic ribosomes. The site and the characteristics of the modification in 28 S ribosomal RNA caused by the toxins. The Journal of Biological Chemistry , 292, 5908-5912.

    

    
 Metallic Toxins

   

               Metals are a deadly type of oxidant in certain cases.Studies conducted point specific types of chemical ions and incomplete bonds to be a direct result of a toxic metals, such as mercury incompletely bonding with other types of chemicals to create a harmful synthetic toxic. For example, lipid peroxides formed via attachment of amino acids can react with a carcinogenic material called malondialdehyde. Breaking it down, the genetic make up of people and their RNA systems are altered by toxic chemicals that form a synthetic bond and create a different chemical, usually one that does damage to the infected person. However, these aren't only in people. Metals like this are found in particulates in the air, in the environment, and all around the world in various types of materials such as lead in paint. Toxic metals are dangerous, but knowing what they are and how to avoid them is a crucial step of life.

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         Valko, M., Morris, H., & Cronin, M. (2005, December 10). Metals, Toxicity, and Oxidated Stress. Europe PubMed Central, 1161-1208.

Radioactive red rain over Sri Lanka?

During an event in 2001, a large amount of red rain, almost a blood-like substance, was witnessed falling over parts of India. A large amount of reports were located near Sri Lanka, where the amount of red rain was greatest. Scientists conducting a study on the mysterious red rain, were prompted by a "sonic boom", most likely a meteorite that civilians in the area reported hearing. After extensive research and examination, scientists discovered that the cells attached to the water, (H20), was coated with a substance much like Uranium (and Uranium itself!) and was partially responsible for the change in color. Radioactivity is toxic to pretty much all living creatures.

Miyake, N., Matsui, T., Wallis, J., Wallis, D., Samaranayakie, A., Wickramarathne, K., & Wickramasinghe, N. (2013, April 15). Discovery of Uranium in Outer Coat of Sri Lankan Red Rain Cells . Journal of Cosmology, 22(4), 

     Toxic Mattress?

   Toxins are absorbed into blood streams of living creatures, bodies of water, the environment, AND NOW YOUR MATTRESSES! That's right, a report came in discussing the toxicity of chemicals put on your mattress! A few rather disorienting chemicals like polyurethane foam, formaldehyde, boric acid, antimony, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers. (The last is a flame retardant.) The chemicals sprayed onto these mattresses causes nausea, disorientation, headaches, fevers, and can contain possible carcinogenic chemicals that can debilitate your body while you sleep! It's terrible! It's easy to get around it, simply buy a mattress from before 2007. (As of 2014) The amount of time allotted will allow the toxins to leave, ensuring you get a good night's sleep.

        Annelle, D. (2013, August 19). STOP! Don't buy that new TOXIC mattress! Healthy Living, Retrieved from http://www.weedemandreap.com/stop-dont-buy-that-new-toxic-mattress-theres-a-cheaper-and-healthier-option/

   
         Disney and other name brand clothing are very dangerous.

          A study conducted by Greenpeace East Asia showed that more than 12 name-brand companies, including Addidas, Disney, and Burberry, are putting harmful chemicals in their clothing lines! China, being the worlds leader in textile, chemical processor, and chemical production, use an excessive amount that have been visibly polluting Bejing all the way to the London Canal! One Addidas swimsuit had five times the legal limit for dangerous chemicals.

          Tang, D. (2014, January 14). New study finds toxic monsters lurking in children’s clothing. Greenpeace,

Most people have a general idea about what a toxin is. Poison. Death. Lethal stuff. A gateway to sickness or the afterlife. Well, to put it scientifically, it's all of these things! A toxin is any substance that has been made either organically or synthetically, (created in a lab by scientists), that has degrading effects on the human body once ingested either through skin, saliva, consumption of contaminated substance, blood, or from a direct injection, (a snake or spider bite).
 So, this sounds bad enough as it is. Below is an incomplete list of effects of poisons in humans.

• Neurological disorders, (Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, depression, attention deficit disorder, schizophrenia, etc.)
• Cancer
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Hormonal imbalances
• Enzyme dysfunction
• Altered metabolism
• Reproductive disorders
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Obesity
• Muscle and vision problems
• Immune system depression
• Allergies/Asthma
• Endocrine disorders
• Chronic viral infections
• Less ability to tolerate/handle stress

(http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/articles/toxin10.php)

So, toxins are bad. Sadly though, there's a large amount of toxins in the environment that were made synthetically and an even larger amount made naturally. What's somewhat scary is the fact that these toxins are in everything. EVERYTHING. 77,000 chemicals are produced annually in the United States as of 2012, 10,000 of which are put into food preservatives, 3,000 of which are added directly to food, and approximately 1,000 new chemicals are made yearly!

Be wary of deadly toxins. They're deadly and likely cause death when ingested.

Toxins are an every day issue, so to speak, and can be found in just about anything! In fact, almost every thing on the Earth is toxic to us humans in high enough dosage, even water! That's right, 70% of our make up as a human being is potentially toxic to us. So what's the issue with toxins? Besides being put into the wrong places, like the environment and in paint, toxins seem to find ways to leech themselves into the bloodstreams of living creatures. So I've decided to make a blog explaining exactly what a toxin is, what the effects on the environment are, and how toxins effect living creatures. 

The picture below depicts the Golden Tree Frog, the most poisonous vertebrate known to man thus far. 

http://www.worldlandtrust.org/sites/files/golden-poison-frog-colombia.jpg