According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), sodium cyanide is a white crystal-like almond-coloured solid that is typically used industrially for metal cleaning

A cargo ship that smashed into a US military chartered oil tanker off the northeast coast of England on Monday was carrying sodium cyanide, according to the maritime intelligence company and shipping journal Lloyd’s List.

The highly toxic material may have spilled into the water when a tanker collided with a container ship on Monday