PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF INTOXICATION WITH CYANOGEN SUBSTANCES

The highest quantity of cyanogen compounds in the environment results mainly from human activities (ore extraction, cleaning and hardening metals, galvanization etc). People with metabolic disorders in cyanide conversion to thiocyanide show a higher risk of intoxication with cyanogen substances. Some deficient diets may increase the risk to cyanide exposure. Thiocyanide, the main metabolite of cyanide, cause endemic goiter in humans and animals. In the studies, orally administrated cyanide and thiocyanide to rats, induced effects on the thyroid gland. The mechanisms through which the cyanides induce effects on the thyroid gland are demonstrated that thiocyanide significantly inhibited the accumulation of iodine in the thyroid gland, lowering the ability of this gland to keep the iodine concentration above the blood concentration. Moreover, thiocyanide may inhibit the iodine fixing, thus interfering the organic iodine binding at glandular level. In the cyanogen intoxication, the para clinical examinations can be classified into two groups: laboratory examinations that aim to determine certain biochemical and hematologic modifications and laboratory examinations that determine the toxicants in the organism or reveal their metabolism products. The analytical toxicological diagnosis is both qualitative, identifying the cyanogen toxicant involved in the intoxication etiology, and quantitative, establishing the cyanide concentration in the biological fluids, in order to estimate the quantity of the toxic substance in the organism and to assess the severity and the evolution of the intoxication. In spite of numerous sources which can release cyanides into the environment, the available data are few, that is why the average daily value of cyanides that enter the human organism has not been able to be evaluated.