Abstract
© 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Cyanamide is similar to but not as toxic as cyanide. It is commonly used in agriculture and in pharmaceutical industries. While the main mechanism of acute toxicity is due to overactivity of the parasympathetic nervous system, symptoms of chronic toxicity are due to inhibition of alcohol dehydrogenase resulting in disulfiram-like syndrome. Symptoms of severe poisoning include metabolic acidosis and refractory shock. There is no known antidote for cyanamide toxicity, and management of acute cyanamide toxicity is mainly symptomatic. Chronic toxicity could be prevented by systematic program of medical surveillance of personnel who are under long-term exposure to cyanamide.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Encyclopedia of Toxicology |
| Editors | Philip Wexler |
| Place of Publication | New York |
| Publisher | Elsevier (Singapore) Pte Ltd |
| Pages | 1091-92 |
| Edition | 3rd |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-0123864543 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
Keywords
- Agriculture
- Alcohol dehydrogenase inhibition
- Cyanamide
- Disulfiram-like reaction
- Metabolic acidosis
- Parasympathetic overactivity
- Pharmaceuticals
- Refractory shock