Emergency Preparedness Response Course (EPRC) – Clinician Course Practice Test

Cyanide appears in nature both as free cyanide forms (cyanide salts and hydrogen cyanide gas) and as precursors in certain plants that can release cyanide when processed. Bitter almonds are well known for containing cyanogenic glycosides, such as amygdalin, which can release hydrogen cyanide when the tissue is crushed or metabolized. That means cyanide isn’t stored as free cyanide in the almond itself, but can be produced from it under certain conditions. Because of this distinction, bitter almonds are not a direct historical source of cyanide in its ready-to-exert form, making them the exception in this context. The other two forms—cyanide salts and hydrogen cyanide gas—are direct, historically recognized cyanide forms.