It is more appropriate to classify poisons by their action on the human body:
- lachrymatory (tear-producing) substances (e.g. bromoacetone, ethyl ether, bromoacetic acid)
- asphyxiants (e.g. carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide)
- vesicants or blister agents (e.g. mustard gas, some organic compounds of arsenic)
- cytotoxins or cell poisons (e.g. phosphorus, hydrogen sulfide)
- neurotoxins or nerve poisons (e.g. alcohols, ether, chloroform)
- organ poisons (e.g. gasoline, benzene, chloroform, mercury compounds)
Poisons can enter the human body via three routes:
- through the skin or mucous membranes
- via the digestive tract
- via the respiratory tract (inhalation)
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