Dioxin poisoning

[Joeychemist]

Dioxin poisoning

Well they finally know what Victor Yushcenko was poisoned with. One of the many forms of Dioxin.

Dioxin is the name generally given to a class of super-toxic chemicals, the chlorinated dioxins and furans, formed as a by-product of the manufacture, molding, or burning of organic chemicals and plastics that contain chlorine. It is the nastiest, most toxic man-made organic chemical; its toxicity is second only to radioactive waste.

Dioxin exhibits serious health effects when it reaches as little as a few parts per trillion in your body fat. Dioxin is a powerful hormone disrupting chemical. By binding to a cell's hormone receptor, it literally modifies the functioning and genetic mechanism of the cell, causing a wide range of effects, from cancer to reduced immunity to nervous system disorders to miscarriages and birth deformity.

Because it literally changes the functioning of your cells, the effects can be very obvious or very subtle. Because it changes gene functions, it can cause so-called genetic diseases to appear, and can interfere with child development. There is no "threshold" dose - the tiniest amount can cause damage, and our bodies have no defense against it. In high doses, dioxin can cause liver failure, cancer and death, but in smaller doses it causes organ damage and cancer which can kill, but it usually takes awhile. Dioxin also causes a severe skin disease, chloracne, which is the most visible of Yushcenko’s symptoms. Medical authorities are unsure if Victor Yushcenko will ever recover fully.

Here is the real question what type of Dioxin did they use and why use Dioxin. I mean these assassins are not the smartest, the only reason I can see why they choose to use Dioxin is because it takes quite a while to pin-point this toxin. Other than that, these assassins flat out suck at killing. :D

[nbk2000]

If he was murdered, then he'd be a martyr.

But, by disfiguring him, without killing him, they've made him unappealing, thus not likely to be elected (or re-elected), as he was a 'Pretty Boy' before all this happened.

I'm surprised it took the doctors this long to figure it out, as I thought Dioxin as soon as I saw the boils on his face, which I saw before in an article on dioxin in National Geographic years ago.

[FUTI]

The most info about dioxin poisoning should come from chemical plant incident in 80's in Italy AFAIK. Reactor of pesticide factory exploded because overheating during reaction (which you guess generate more dioxin) sending whole batch in the air. Nastiest thing I remember is story of the kids from suburban region near by who run out to play around thinking the snow had started to fall...but those were the flakes of another kind:(

I wonder is it posible to separate the injuries made by 2-chlor-acetic acid from toxic influence of dioxin...you know which substance caused which injury/symptom.

[SweNMFan]

The evening press is reporting that it was TCDD dioxin, apparently Agent Orange contained that too...

[FUTI]

Agent orange was the same defoliant/herbicide that Italian factory was producing 2,4-dichlor-phenoxy-acetic acid, but apparently there are proven studies/analysis of Agent Orange that US used in Vietnam and the amount of dioxin contained in it is above the level approved for this type of products (I'm not suprised who would expect that someone would check those things in something that you plan to drop on enemy teritory and don't give a sh*t is it toxic or not - but the wind is nasty thing that like to change direction in inconvenient time). So SweNFMan is right.

[Pb1]

Contrary to previous belief, dioxins are not super-toxins. This claim is only true in guinea pigs, which are very sensitive to it.

[Joeychemist]

The evening press is reporting that it was TCDD dioxin, apparently Agent Orange contained that too...
SweNMFan

Dioxin (TCDD) is not an original substance used in the making of Agent Orange. Instead It was an unknown contaminant. Agent Orange used in Vietnam was contaminated with Dioxin (TCDD) during the manufacturing of the agent Orange itself. The Agent Orange used in Vietnam was contaminated in amounts from 0.05 to almost 50 parts per million, with the mean contamination being 2 parts per million (ppm). This contamination resulted in an estimated 368 pounds of dioxin being sprayed over Vietnam over a six-year period.

Victor Yushcenko is the first reported humanbeing that has been intentionally and directly poisoned with Dioxin.

Mr.NBK sir, you’re right! He was Ukraine’s “pretty boy”, but look at him now, YUCK!!! Now he’s the poster boy for Dioxin poison awareness. :D

[simply RED]

Today i was reading an article from the magazine of BAN (Bulgarian academy of science) which describes dioxins. Obviously there is no info there that is unknown by the fellow forum members.
Yes, dioxins are not super toxic to humans, they are super toxic to some other life forms like most rodents. They are stronger mutagens and teratogens in most animals than in human.
It is said that chloro dibeznofurans have similar properties to dioxins.

http://lb.chemie.uni-hamburg.de/static/data/44_yky77ck2.html
Some structures here.

[Maldigola]

TCDD-tetrachlordibenzo p dioxin

Its possible to make it from dichloropyrocatechol (two molecules condensation)or, like in Seweso, boil the 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorbenzene with NaOH for to make 2,4,5 trichlorophenolate-Na and boil this in ethylene glycol.

The liquid should turn in white -this white powder is the TCDD.

[Bugger]

What are you going to use the stuff for, Maldigola? I wonder if it was the substance used to poison that former Russian Prime Minister in Dublin, Ireland, last month.

BTW Its name comes from the fact that it is a derivative of dioxane (1,4-dioxa-cyclohexane), a cyclic ether, with two chlorinated benzene rings fused to it. Also, it is not an impurity that is formed in the manufacture of the herbicides 2-chloro-phenoxyacetic acid or 2,4-dichloro-phenoxyacetic acid (or the Na salts or esters of them), known as MCPA and 2,4-D respectively, used mainly to kill non-grassy weeds found in grass; but is instead formed in small quantities in the manufacture of the more powerful herbicide 2,4,5-trichloro-phenoxyacetic acid (or its Na salt or esters), called 2,4,5-T, which is used primarily to kill brushwood such as gorse. It is formed in a side-reaction, especially under conditions of excessive pressure and temperature, which results in two 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid molecules condensing via their carboxylic acid groups (which form ether linkages).

"Agent Orange" is a mixture of equal amounts of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, used as a forest defoliant in the 1960s and 1970s for the Vietnam war/whore. It is causing ongoing birth defects there, which are also occurring in places (such as New Plymouth, New Zealand) where 2,4,5-T was manufactured until it was stopped in the 1980s (when the dioxin toxicity in it became apparent).

[Maldigola]

I was busy with the TCDD for a long time and the TCDD is me well known.
The molecule look so-between two benzenes are two -O-groups and on each of these benzenes are two -Cl.
Properties are very strange-this TCDD is highly stable,the destroying appear over 700C.Therefore-you can boil it ,you can heat it and it stay undestroyed.In the ICMESA in Seweso 20Km near by Milano,there was the iron pot without pressure and it boiled a long time over.(between 2-5l was in the air)
-the TCDD is not soluble in anything.
- the TCDD isnt able to be detoxicate.And this is the reason,why it cannot be used by soldiers.(there is only possible the combination of cyclohexan+UV,but its questionable)
-its the most potent teratogen and carcinogen and the mostly potent low molecular poisson.
The typical picture of chronical poissoning with TCDD is so called" PERNA dermatitis"with deformities of upper parts of fingers.(look the boss of Ukraina)
TCDD acumulate in bones,it is not outgoing from body.
There are more chlorinated molecules of dioxin-with 8 chlorins,but these are not too bad poissons.
Synthesis of TCDD is easy,very easy,but you are not able to do it without danger.

[nbk2000]

Well, it would certainly make a good extortion weapon, as any manufacturing plant in the western world that got contaminated with Dioxin would be unusable.

Imagine if a car plant got smoked with it.

News media is informed.

All workers refuse to come into work.

EPA closes plant because of contamination.

Exposed workers file multi-billion dollar lawsuit.

Company goes bankrupt.

OR...pay a few million to a cayman account and stay uncontaminated.

Dusting mud housing areas (projects) with it would be a good race weapon, as it'd greatly increase their birth-defect and miscarriage rates, slowing their breeding down.

This would be done covertly, of course, so as not to warn them off, or get them any government handouts to move.

[Maldigola]

the only way,how to work with TCDDwithout danger is to work with precursor(2,4,5,tichlorophenolate -Na),which will be boiled in the pot with EG and iron under reflux on the target place.

[Jacks Complete]

I think I'd seal the reaction vessel tight, after making sure it would almost take whatever pressures were going to be generated.

Easiest thing to do if it is totally resistant to heat would be to stick the bottle someplace it would get really hot, before bursting. Should make enough to be fun before it goes pop, and the heat from the fire will disperse it over a bigger distance than otherwise.

[SafetyLast]

There was just something on the discovery channel last week about dioxin, the Times Beach Missouri disaster involving Russel Bliss and his spraying of the roads with 245-T and Hexachlorophene. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Beach,_Missouri
The concentration in the waste clay and water was about 100ppb, 2000 times higher than that of agent orange. 2ppb of dioxin can be lethal to humans in some cases. A similar incident occured in Australia in the 1970s.

[Cobalt.45]

There was just something on the discovery channel last week about dioxin, the Times Beach Missouri disaster
And, while answering to a committee about his knowledge, or lack there of, regarding the contamination of the oil he was spraying, doesn't this dude stick his finger into a container of it and then proceeds to lick his finger!:eek:

Granted, there may have been no real danger from doing this (after all, who knows what was really in the glass...), but who knows?

[FullMetalJacket]

A similar incident occured in Australia in the 1970s.

It could be the same thing, but I have a memory of there being an incident where surplus vietnam agent orange was used for weed control. Wrkers contracted cancer, kids had birth defects because nobody had warned them about it's effects. They got nearly the world's biggest single worker's comepensation claim.