A poison is defined as a substance that is capable of causing the illness or death of a living organism when introduced or absorbed, with “substance” being defined as a material with particular physical characteristics. Therefore the term substance can include the following molecules: drugs, vitamins, pesticides, pollutants, and proteins. To some extent, it can include radiation, as the majority is produced from radioscopes. These versions of a chemical element have an unstable nucleus, with...
A poison is defined as a substance that is capable of causing the illness or death of a living organism when introduced or absorbed, with “substance” being defined as a material with particular physical characteristics. Therefore the term substance can include the following molecules: drugs, vitamins, pesticides, pollutants, and proteins. To some extent, it can include radiation, as the majority is produced from radioscopes. These versions of a chemical element have an unstable nucleus, with an unstable number of protons and neutrons, emitting radiation during their decay to a stable form, which has the ability to cause illness or death to live organisms. For something to be classified as living it must have the following characteristics; The ability to move, respire, respond to stimuli, grow, reproduce independently without the aid of other species to produce a fertile offspring, excrete and take up and use nutrients. This is important to the overall question because the main definition considers the adverse effects upon living organisms and not the effects upon structures such as viruses.
