Smoke poisoning can be caused by a number of things,
including cyanides, the salts of hydrocyanic acid. Because the quick diagnosis
and treatment of victims with cyanide poisoning is critical and often
lifesaving, it is very surprising that a cyanide test for emergency situations
is not yet available. Now, chemists at the University of Zurich have developed
a simple and reliable procedure to detect blood cyanide in less than two
minutes.