2.4.4 Air Contamination
In the same regard, air can also be susceptible to phytotoxin contamination. This is particularly the case for volatile phytochemicals or very lightweight microparticles that can be used as vehicles to ferry phytotoxins to various areas. Most of these phytotoxins are irritants to the eyes, respiratory tract, and skin. It is generally difficult to protect the environment from airborne phytotoxins because they are mostly distributed naturally by the wind. Non‐toxic materials with a higher density than that of the toxins or their carriers can be employed in limited areas to weigh down the contaminants to the ground. However, such interventions should only be done after thorough environmental and health impact assessments have been conducted and approved.
2.4.5 Food Contamination
Phytotoxins can potentially be found in foodstuffs, particularly those of marine origins. However, other terrestrial food sources can still contain phytotoxins from ground‐plant contamination through root uptake or through leaf and stem openings into the metabolic system of plants. Herbivorous meat sources can be easily contaminated by such phytotoxins or their metabolites from plants. Phytotoxin metabolites can be non‐toxic or as toxic as, or more toxic than, the original phytotoxin obtained from the ground or the air. In Malawian history, hunters and fishermen were known to use plant‐based phytotoxins, locally known as mwabvi, to make lethal material that could make their fish or animal targets drowsy.
2.4.6 Security and Safety Services
Phytotoxins should be considered a group of chemicals potentially endangering the security of communities. Their use in various historical conflicts should serve as a lesson from which security agents need to do all they can to prevent the recurrence of abuse and/or misuse of plant based materials as weapons during conflicts. Weaponisation of phytotoxins remain a worrisome thought that threaten water bodies and the general environment in which people live. Chatters and organizations that checks and controls the use of chemicals such as the Organisation for the prohibition of chemical weapons (OPCW) exist to make sure no chemicals are weaponized. However, there is need to extend the reach to phytotoxins which currently aren’t been exhaustively studied. Security services need to be made aware of the potential dangers that they can pose and the challenges in their remediation. In this way, it will be much easier for scientists, working alongside security service guidelines and policy, to develop appropriate remedial interventions.
2.4.7 Agricultural
The accumulation of NHST phytotoxins in some plants may be dangerous to other plants [1]. This can be useful in selectively and strategically growing these plants to protect intended plants from invasive weeds. However, this can only be done if the intended plant–weed relationship has been studied and is well understood. If need be, biotechnology approaches to customize the relationship can be introduced. Some phytotoxins have already been reported to be significant in the management of weeds in farming [29].
2.5 Brief Mechanisms of Action
Phytotoxins have various mechanistic activities on the physiological processes of the organisms they are affecting. These include, but are not limited to, lipid biosynthesis (cyperine: Ascochyta cypericola), energy production (tentoxin: Alternaria spp.), the polymerization of actin (cytochalasins: many fungal species), and reactive oxygen species production (cercosporin: Cercospora spp.) [1]. Generally, their mechanism of action is to interact with body cells and possibly cause slow degeneration or other long‐lasting complications. Interventions against such adverse mechanisms involve blocking the mechanistic processes or introducing entirely new agents, such as known drugs, to undo or redirect the mechanisms.
2.6 Conclusion
Phytotoxins are a very significant group of compounds in all sectors of society, including health, security, agriculture, and drug discovery, among others. Although many studies have been carried out, it is imperative to consider the categorization of these compounds in terms of their sources, mechanisms of action, hazards, and their benefits. In this way, there will be a very important multidisciplinary contribution to science in a way that is more meaningful to the general public.
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