Earth.
What a beautiful place.
Planet earth is filled with all the resources we need to bring about life and to nourish
ourselves… but it also has a dark side.
Poison.
Clever minds on earth have managed to find substances so horrible, so deadly, that a
mere drop of them could kill an army.
But WHAT is the MOST deadly?
Hello and welcome back to Life’s Biggest Questions – the channel that loves questions
that have no answers as much as questions that do.
I am your host Rebecca Felgate and today I am asking What Is The Deadliest Substance
on Earth.
Do I have an urge to sing Britney Spear’s Toxic, sure?
But is this the time and place…
no… but maybe if you ask my personally I’d consider it.
Must.
Not.
Britney.
So before we get into this video why don’t you let me know what you think the most deadly
thing to MANKIND is.
Also while you are down there commenting, why don’t you share this video with a friend
and hit the thumbs up button.
Again, please do stick around to the end of the video to hear some comments read out from
one of our previous big questions.
SO Poison is an interesting one isn’t it.
As time and history moves forward humanity has discovered more destructive ways to compound
chemicals.
Back in the humbly debauched days of ancient Rome, toxins like Hemlock or poisonous mushrooms
were used to off enemies.
We know that in 69 BCE Queeny Cleopatra likely offed herself by using snake venom.
Fast forward to 1493 and Paracelsus identified that dosage is vital when it comes to toxins
and the severity of their effects – then Father of toxicology Orfila noted the correlation
between chemical properties and biological effects.
Good chap.
In the 1950s, Japan learned that Mercury is deadly and England learned smog aint great.
Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Chernobyl they taught us that nuclear poisoned is pretty damn awful
too.
Ricin?
Radiation poisoning?
A popular choice when jabbing people with umbrellas.
Espionage can be grim.
SO what now though?
What is the most deadly substance and surely it isn’t readily available?
If we are talking a weapon of mass destruction, VX is about the worst in terms of the nerve
agents.
It was developed for military use in chemical warfare – Oh, it stands for Venomous Agent
X - by the way.
If exposed to the military dosage of VX, you wont necessarily die – although the fatal
dosage is upwards of ten milligrams via skin absorption or inhalation.
This causes a deadly disruption between the bodies nerves and muscular system which leads
to paralysis and asphyxiation.
Luckily the vast stockpiles the Unites States had of the chemical have been destroyed and
the majority of the world have agreed that chemical warfare is a violation of human rights….
Unfortunately Bashar al-Assad didn’t get the memo buuuut.
Also very deadly is Batrachotoxin now this is for reaaaals.
Humans didn’t create this – this is a VERY deadly cardiotoxic and Neurotoxic substance
found in some species of beetles, birds and frogs!
This substance is often used in poison darts and is one of the most deadly natural substances
known to humans.
If ingested or even touched, the toxin causes massive heart attacks and stops the brain
receptors from working, meaning the body shuts down.
And… hip hip horray, there is no known antidote.
Drumroll though!
The most deadly substance on earth in terms of toxicology is Botulinum Toxin, aka botox…
get people have it put in their face… and their butts, but like… honestly do whatever
you want just know the risks.
Commercial Botox is also a bit different than the pure form..so..dont worry.
So Botulinum Toxin is a naturally occurring substance and the most acutely lethal toxin
known to humans.
2 nanograms will kill you if you ingest it – that’s smaller than the size of a grain
of birch pollen.
If inhaled, around 10 nanograms will kill you.
How?
Heart attacks, seizures, respiratory arrest, muscle failure, strokes.
OH and there is more.
A new strand of Botulinum Toxin has been discovered that is EVEN more deadly the the previously
most deadly!
What a vortex.
So the new strand is actually being kept a secret – details will not be published by
researchers, which is very unusual for the Scientific community.
It is thought that 2 billionths of a gram injected or 13billionths of a gram inhaled
will be enough to kill an adult.
Why the secrecy?
Well, scientists don’t want the information to be a red flag to chemical terrorism and…
well…
I’m pretty supportive of that decision.
At least until they find a cure, if there is one!
So…one question answered, right?
Well sure but how often does one stumble across Botulinum Toxin in its most deadly form?
Botox of the highest order may be the most deadly, but how many people has it actually
killed.
What about gun powder, alcohol, nicotine?
Or if we’re approaching this question without forgetting the ON EARTH part of the title,
what about petrol, oil, beef…… do they not damage earth and kill people in a round
about way.
Could way say the deadliest substance on earth is the atom because of all the drama when
it is split.
While deadly has parameters, it is easy to have tunnel vision and forget we engage in
deadly activity every day.
SO guys I hope that was an educational video for you!
I certainly learned a lot reaching and scripting it.
I thought the answer was Mercury!
I guess that is because that is what my dad told me when I was young, probably because
he was taught that when he was young…but a lot can change in 50 years…perhaps in
50 years, 100 years…we will have unearthed something even more deadly.
SO guys that is the end of this video!
What did you think?
Comments from what if an asteroid hit the Yellowstone volcano?
Spongebob Squarepants said: If it Asteroid tried to hit yellow stone Elon Musk would
host meme review Trust me I am a dinosaur?.
Ethan MacDonalds Said: What if we found a human skeleton on Mars.
WOA Game changer.
iiQoaxxii_ said: In Conclusion, we are dead.
Deceased.
Screwed.
Basically….
But no worries, it wont happen!