Cyanide is a highly toxic chemical with a variety of uses, including chemical synthesis, laboratory analysis, and metal plating and polishing. Aliphatic nitriles (acrylonitrile and propionitrile) used in plastic manufacturing are metabolized to cyanide. The vasodilator drug nitroprusside releases cyanide upon exposure to light or through metabolism. Natural sources of cyanide (amygdalin and many other cyanogenic glycosides) are found in apricot pits, cassava, and many other plants and seeds, some of which may be important exposures, depending on ethnobotanical practices. Acetonitrile, a solvent that was a component of some artificial nail glue removers, has caused several pediatric deaths due to conversion to cyanide in the body.
Hydrogen cyanide gas is generated easily by mixing acid with cyanide salts and also is a common combustion by-product of burning plastics, wool, and many other natural and synthetic products. Hydrogen cyanide poisoning is an important cause of death from structural fires and deliberate cyanide exposure (through cyanide salts) remains an important instrument of homicide and suicide. Hydrogen cyanamide, an agricultural chemical used as a plant regulator, is a potent toxin that inhibits aldehyde dehydrogenase but does not act as a cyanide analog.