The Toxic Twins: Hydrogen Cyanide & Carbon Monoxide

Hydrogen Cyanide & Carbon Monoxide are properly studied in the discipline of toxicology, the study of poisons, i.e. substances that have deleterious effects on the body. Cyanide is probably the most famous poison of murder mysteries and of legend.

It is extremely poisonous to all aerobic organisms, and certainly to all mammals including man. As you will see, it has similar acute and long term physiologic effects to that of CO, but when present is usually more poisonous and elusive than its toxic twin.