RECOGNIZE That Exposure to Cyanide Is Linked to Many Different Sources

Exposure to cyanide can be accidental or intentional:

• Occupational exposure may occur for the 250,000 workers potentially exposed to cyanide (CN) in numerous occupations including mining, metallurgy, photography, extermination, and firefighting^12,13
• Because liquid and solid forms of CN are transported by rail and highway, accidental exposures can occur en route to or from industrial facilities¹⁴
• Cyanide can be ingested deliberately in the case of a suicide, or used as an act of intentional poisoning, such as the 1982 Tylenol^®* tampering^4,15
• More than 2,650 plant species can produce CN, depending on food preparation and digestion¹²

Hydrogen cyanide is a widely used industrial chemical, with an estimated 1.8 billion pounds manufactured and used in the United States in 2004.^14,16

87% of all hydrogen cyanide is used as an intermediary in production of materials found in^14,17:

• Building construction
• Transportation vehicle interiors
• Residential and commercial interiors and furnishings

Click here to view larger image.

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Locations of known CN users, processors, manufacturers, distributors, and/or generators.¹⁴ Cyanide is any chemical compound that contains the cyano group, which can be found in compounds of gases, solids, or liquids. Those that can release the CN ion, CN-, are highly toxic.¹² Current reporting thresholds are 25,000 pounds of a chemical, manufactured or processed, and 10,000 pounds for any other use of a chemical.¹²

• Every state uses, processes, manufactures, or distributes CN¹⁴
• Of the 123 manufacturing facilities in the United States, the highest concentrations are in the Northeast and upper Midwest¹⁴
• Many heavily populated cities and towns have cyanide plants in the vicinity¹⁴

* Tylenol is a registered trademark of Johnson & Johnson

**Styrofoam is a trademark of the Dow Chemical Company

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