E25: CHEMICAL AGENTS Contact Poisons: A Brief Touch

"CHEMICAL AGENTS Contact Poisons: A Brief Touch," by Dr Andrew Robertson examines the risks and characteristics of contact poisons, which are substances absorbed through the skin to cause toxic effects or death. While acknowledging that these agents are often sensationalized in popular media and crime fiction, the author stresses that many military, industrial, and agricultural chemicals pose a genuine contact risk that medical professionals must recognize. The discussion differentiates between highly potent agents like nerve agents (e.g., VX) and more commonly available industrial toxins such as pesticides and organic solvents, which can also be fatal. Finally, the article explores the role of solvents like Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) in enhancing percutaneous absorption by disrupting the skin's lipid barrier, a mechanism exploited in both pharmaceutical research and certain criminal plots involving poisons like ricin or nicotine. You can read the original article here: https://jmvh.org/article/chemical-agents-contact-poisons-a-brief-touch/