What happens when someone has been poisoned with cyanide?
Cyanide poisoning may occur through inhalation, ingestion, dermal exposure or parenteral administration.31 The inhalation route results in the most rapid effect in the body. When hydrogen cyanide is inhaled, it quickly enters the bloodstream through the lungs and rapidly enters cells where it deactivates cytochrome oxidase, an enzyme found in cells and important in cell respiration, and prevents the cells from using oxygen. The brain and the heart are most vulnerable to the effects of cyanide poisoning because they are most dependent on oxygen to function properly.31 Therefore, the first symptoms of cyanide poisoning appear at the neurological and cardiovascular levels.
