Box jellyfish
Other names: sea wasp
Interesting facts:
-The stings are extremely painful and can be fatal to humans.
-Has a relatively well-developed nervous system.
-Usually found around Asia and Australia.
Symptoms of poisoning: immediate burning pain, irrational behavior, problems breathing, cardiac arrest.
Treatment: immediately apply vinegar to the sting for 30 seconds.
Christmas Rose
Scientific name: Helleborus niger
Other names: Christmas rose, black hellebore
Interesting facts:
-It is in the buttercup family, not the rose family.
-The legend of the Christmas rose tells the story of a young, poor girl who went to see the Christ child. She cried because she didn’t have a gift to give, and the Christmas rose sprung from her tears.
-It contains the poison ranunculin (protoanemonin).
Symptoms of poisoning: burning of the eyes/mouth/throat, mouth ulcers, nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting blood.
Treatment: immediate decontamination/medical attention.
Cone snail
Interesting facts:
-Large ones are dangerous to humans.
-Have a barbed tooth used for stinging.
-Venoms are mainly peptides.
Symptoms of poisoning: intense/localized pain, swelling, numbness/tingling, vomiting, muscle paralysis, vision changes, respiratory failure, death if untreated
Antidote: none known; treatment is to be put on life support until until venom is metabolised
moonseed
scientific name: menispermum
common name: moonseed
toxicity: All parts of this plant are known to be poisonous, causing nausea and vomiting. Children have been killed from eating the fruits.
Asian Moonseed has been used to treat skin disorders, rheumatism, and cervical cancer. Canadian Moonseed has been used in herbal medicine as a tonic, laxative, dermatological aid, venereal aid, and diuretic.
Poison hemlock
Scientific name: Conium maculatum
Interesting facts:
-Was used in Ancient Greece to put people to death (most notably, Socrates).
-Contains a neurotoxin.
-Is also dangerous to animals.
Symptoms of poisoning: respiratory collapse, paralysis, loss of speech, nausea, vomiting, drooling, abdominal pain, drowsiness.
Antidote: activated charcoal.
Brown recluse spider
Other names: fiddleback spider, violin spider
Scientific name: Loxosceles reclusa
Interesting facts:
-Gets its nickname from the violin-like pattern on its body.
-Has six eyes instead of eight, like most spiders.
-Prefer isolated habitats.
Symptoms of poisoning: burning sensation where bite is, formation of small pimple-like bump, darkening of surrounding tissue, progression of bite into sunken, open, ulcerated sore
Antidote: immediate medical attention (involves antibiotics to prevent infection and pain medication)
Mercury
Interesting facts:
-It’s the only metal element that is liquid at room temperature.
-Fatty fish like tuna are likely to contain mercury from pollution.
-Alchemists once believed that they could use mercury to turn things into gold.
Symptoms of poisoning: pins and needles feeling throughout the body, poor movement coordination, peripheral vision impairment, speech/hearing impairment, muscle weakness, skin discoloration, swelling, sweating, fast heartbeat, high blood pressure, increased salivation, kidney dysfunction.
Antidote: chelation therapy to remove mercury from body using dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA).
larkspur
scientific name: consolida
common name: larkspur
toxicity: Young plants and seeds are poisonous, causing nausea, muscle twitches, and paralysis. Larkspur poisoning is often fatal.
white snakeroot
scientific name: ageratina altissima
common name: white snakeroot, white sanicle, tall boneset
toxicity: All parts of the plant are poisonous and cause nausea and vomiting. Milk from cattle who have ingested the plant can sicken and kill humans. Poisoning is often fatal.
Anthrax
Disease caused by Bacillus anthracis.
Interesting facts:
-Can’t be spread directly from person to person, but is spread by spores.
-Name comes from the Greek word for “coal” because of the appearance of the black skin lesions caused by infection.
-Was first discovered in 1875 by Robert Koch.
Symptoms of poisoning: itchy bumps that become severe skin lesions, fever, chills, fatigue, bleeding, edema, nausea, sore throat, vomiting, loss of appetite, muscle aches, shortness of breath.
Antidote: can be treated with antibiotics if caught early.
