NEUROTOXINS - SCI & TECH
News: At
least 11 dead after gas leak in Punjab’s Ludhiana
What's in the news?
● Neurotoxins
released in the recent Ludhiana gas leak tragedy might have caused the deaths.
Neurotoxins:
● Neurotoxins
are synthetic or naturally occurring
substances that damage, destroy, or impair the functioning of the central
and/or peripheral nervous system.
Examples:
● Many
neurotoxins are of external origin,
entering the body from environmental sources.
● Others,
however, are endogenous, being
produced and existing within the body.
● Examples
of endogenous neurotoxins include the neurotransmitters nitric oxide and
glutamate.
Impacts:
● Neurotoxins
may damage neurons, axons, and/or glia resulting in loss of specific nuclei
and/or axonal tracts or demyelination.
● They
may also cause metabolic imbalances
that can secondarily affect the central nervous system (CNS).
● Neurotoxins
are absorbed through inhalation, ingestion, skin contact, or injection and can
have immediate or long-lasting impacts by causing neurons to malfunction or by
disrupting interneuron communication.
Destructive nature:
● Certain
neurotoxins are highly potent and have been developed into chemical weapons. Sarin
is an organophosphorus compound that is classified as a weapon of mass
destruction.
● Neurotoxins
such as arsenic, chlorpyrifos, DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), ethyl
alcohol, fluoride, lead, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs),
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), manganese, mercury, and toluene are major
contributors to the prevalence of neurobehavioral disorders.