Facts About Cyanide - ABC News

Feb. 13 -- With the country on a heightened terror alert today, New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene urged hospitals to build up stocks of sodium thiosulfate, the antidote to cyanide poisoning.The following information provides information about cyanide and what to do in the event of an attack.

What is cyanide?Cyanide is a fast-acting, potentially lethal chemical that can exist in various forms. Cyanide gas is sometimes described as having a "bitter almond" smell, but it does not always give off an odor, and not everyone can detect it.

Where is it found, and how is it used?Cyanide is naturally present in some foods and in certain plants such as cassava. It's contained in cigarette smoke and the combustion products of synthetic materials such as plastics.

In manufacturing, cyanide is used to make paper, textiles, and plastics, and it is present in the chemicals used to develop photographs. In its gaseous form, cyanide is used to exterminate pests and vermin in ships and buildings.

Reports have indicated that during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, hydrogen cyanide gas may have been used along with other chemical agents against the inhabitants of the Kurdish city of Halabja in northern Iraq.

How can people be exposed?Cyanide enters water, soil, or air as a result of both natural processes and industrial activities. People may be exposed to cyanide by breathing air, drinking water, eating food, or touching soil that contains cyanide.

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Cigarette smoke is probably one of the major sources of cyanide exposure for people who do not work in cyanide-related industries.

How does it work?Poisoning caused by cyanide depends on the amount of cyanide a person is exposed to, the route of exposure, and the length of time a person is exposed. Breathing cyanide gas causes the most harm, but ingesting cyanide can be toxic as well.

Cyanide gas is most dangerous in enclosed places where the gas will be trapped. Because it is less dense than air, it rises, disperses, and evaporates quickly in open spaces, making it less harmful outdoors.