Toxins are classified.

1. Toxic Agent
• Toxic substance is simply a material
which has toxic properties.
• A toxic agent is anything that can
produce an adverse biological
effect. It may be chemical, physical,
or biological in form.

2. TOXINS
Toxins are small poisonous
molecules, peptides, or protein
produced by plants, animals, and
other organisms like viruses, fungi,
bacteria, or protozoa.

3. NATURAL TOXINS
- are chemicals that are naturally produced by
living organisms.
- These toxins are not harmful to the organisms
themselves but they may be toxic to other
creatures, including humans, when eaten.
- Some plants have the capacity to
naturally produce compounds that are toxic to
humans when consumed.

4. • In other words, toxins are mostly described
as drugs produced by microorganisms. They
can cause diseases when absorbed by body
tissues and interact with the body’s
enzymes.
While some toxins only cause minor
discomfort and pain, some can be deadly.

5. CLASSIFICATION OF TOXINS
• Exotoxins : toxins excreted by organisms.
• Endotoxins : produced when bacteria are lysed.
• Hemotoxins : are toxins that destroy red blood cells.
• Phototoxins : causes one to become photosensitive
(being sensitive to sunlight or ultraviolet light)

6. Cyanotoxins:
produced by cyanobacteria;
Necrotoxins:
causes death of cells and destruction of tissues.
Animals that have necrotoxins are brown
recluse spider, puff adder;
Neurotoxins
can affect the nervous system
(black widow spider, scorpions, box jellyfish, and
cone snail)

7. CYTOTOXINS
like ricin that is found in the castor bean plant;
APITOXIN
the venom of honey bees;
MYCOTOXINS
are produced by fungi that can be found in food;
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS
which are caused by man-made contaminants
like shellfish poisoning.

8. POISONS
• Poisons are substances that are absorbed
through the skin or gut of organisms and
causes chemical reactions.
• It is used to describe any harmful
substance, especially those that are
corrosive, carcinogens, and harmful
pollutants.
• In other words, poisons are chemicals
that can injure or impair body functions.

9. USES OF POISONS
• Although poisons have been
popularly used as methods of
murder, assassination or execution.
• They are also being used in pest and
weed control, cleaning,
maintenance, the preservation of
building materials and food.

10. Poisons can be toxic in large doses like
alcohol and some medications like aspirin
and drugs that are being used in
chemotherapy.
Some poisons can harm certain animals
while they usually do not affect other
animals. Pesticides have been developed to
kill certain organisms, but were later found
out that they are also harmful to man.

11. • Toxins and poisons can have
direct and indirect mechanisms
of action.
• Most frequently influenced
organs: Liver, Kidney, Brain, Lung,
intestine and other. Mechanism
of action: Direct damage of
tissue, effect on function, genetic
defect.

12. Toxic substances are classified into the
following:
A. Heavy Metals
Metals differ from other toxic substances
in that they are neither created nor
destroyed by humans.
- plays an important role in determining
their potential for health effects.
- Their effect on health could occur
through at least two mechanisms:

13. - first, by increasing the presence of
heavy metals in air, water, soil, and
food, and second,
- by changing the structure of the
chemical. For example, chromium III
can be converted to or from
chromium VI, the more toxic form of
the metal.

14. B. Solvents and Vapors
Nearly everyone is exposed to
solvents.
When a solvent evaporates, the
vapors may also pose a threat to
the exposed population.

15. C. Radiation and Radioactive
Materials
Radiation is the release and
propagation of energy in space or
through a material medium
in the form of waves, the transfer
of heat or light by waves of energy.

16. D. Dioxin/Furans
Dioxin was originally discovered as
a contaminant in the herbicide
Agent Orange. Dioxin is also a by-
product of chlorine processing in
paper producing industries.

17. E. Pesticides
The EPA defines pesticide as any substance
or mixture of substances intended to
prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate any
pest.
&
Pesticides may also be described as any
physical, chemical, or biological agent that
will kill an undesirable plant or animal pest.

18. F. Plant Toxins
Different portions of a plant may
contain different concentrations of
chemicals. Some chemicals made by
plants can be lethal. For example,
taxon, used in chemotherapy to kill
cancer cells, is produced by a species
of the yew plant.

19. G. Animal Toxins
These toxins can result from venomous or
poisonous animal releases.
Venomous animals are usually
defined as those that are capable of
producing a poison in a highly
developed gland or group of cells, and
can deliver that toxin through biting
or stinging.

20. H. Subcategories of Toxic Substance
Classifications
All of these substances may also be further classified
according to their:
# Effect on target organs (liver, kidney, etc.),
# Use (pesticide, solvent, food additive),
# Source of the agent (animal and plant toxins),
# Effects (cancer mutation, liver injury),
# Physical state (gas, dust, liquid),
# Labeling requirements (explosive, flammable, oxidizer),
# Chemistry (aromatic amine, halogenated hydrocarbon), or
# Poisoning potential (extremely toxic, very toxic, slightly
toxic)

21. Thank you!