TOXICITY of Natural and Synthetic
Chemical Compounds
Compound
Lethal dose: g/person
Relative Potency
PCBs [pesticide]*
96
0.008
DDT [pesticide]*
9
0.09
Dieldrin [pesticide]*
3.7
0.2
Potassium Cyanide [Reference]
0.8
1
Disulfoton [pesticide]*
0.18
4.3
TEPP [pesticide]*
0.09
9
Strycnine [Nux vomica]
0.04
20
Poisonous Mushrooms
0.0075 - 0.023
107 - 35
Soman [warfare agent]*
0.0051
156
VX [warfare agent]*
0.0012
670
Poisonous Snakes*
0.0002 - 0.002
4,000 - 400
Sarin [warfare agent]*
0.0008
1000
Tabun [warfare agent]*
0.0008
1000
Black widow [spider]*
0.00075
1,067
Ictio - Toxins [marine protists]*
0.0006 - 0.0015
1,333 - 533
Batrachotoxin [Arrow frogs]*
0.00016
5,000
Difteria toxin [bacterium]
0.000024
31,250
Palytoxin [Soft coral]*
0.000012
62,500
Ricin [Ricinus communis]*
0.00000008
10,000,000
Tetanus toxin [bacterium]**
0.000000057
14,000,000
Botulinal Neurotoxins [bacterium]***
0.000000023
34,800,000
                     * 'The Merck Index', 10th Edition, 1983.   * See  Poisonous animals .  ** Bartlett, J.G., 1992, In "Infectious Diseases" Gorbach, Bartlett &
                            Blacklow eds., WB Saunders Co, Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich, Inc. Publ. *** Schanz, EJ & Sugiyama, H, 1974, Essays in Toxicology 5, 99-199

            As shown in the Table above:

    - the man-made synthetic chemical compounds are LESS poisonous than natural ones;
DDT, for instance, is 100 times LESS poisonousthan potassium cyanide;
Sarinis about 30,000 times LESS poisonousthanbotulinal toxin;
- the most poisonous chemical compounds are the natural ones;
tetanus toxin, ricin and botulinum toxin, for instance, are
10 - 30million times MORE poisonousthan potassium cyanide.

CANCEROGENICITY
of Natural and Synthetic
Chemical Compounds

Chemical Compound
 CD[50]: mg/kg body weight
Relative POTENCY
Aflatoxins
0.003
3,000,000
Dimethylnitrosamine
0.2
45,000
Synphytine
1.8
4,737
1,1-dimethylhydrazine
4.8
1,875
Formaldehyde
20.0
450
Urethan
30
300
Estragole
50
180
Chloroform
100
90
Allil isothiocyanate
100
90
Safrole
250
36
Saccharin
2,000
4.5
Ethanol
9,000
1
Water
162,000,000
0.00006
            CD[50] = approximate Cancerogenic Dose for 50% of subjects.
            Relative Potency = Cancerogenic Potency compared to cancerogenic potency of ethanol, taken = 1.