Despite the extensive injuries to his body, Riveras glasses and cellphone were found next to him undamaged. It is also very expensive, being several times more expensive than woodpulp, hence the change to that fiber for what is still called Manillausually with two Ls. YouTubeGloria Ramirez, before her 1994 death. Gorchynski continued to experience tremors and apnea. Marc Micozzi, director of the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Washington, D.C., is one. Rodney Marks was a 32-year-old astrophysicist doing research for the University of Chicago. That would account for the oily sheen and garlicky odor observed by the staff. In January of 1959, ten college students decided to go on a hiking trip in the Ural Mountains of the Soviet Union. Grant mistook dimethyl sulfone for dimethyl sulfoxide, or DMSO the only difference between the two chemicals is that DMSO has one oxygen atom, not two. This hunting desire could combine with the layout of the bridge and the surrounding plant life to give the appearance of solid ground, confusing the animals into thinking there is no drop off. Her blood pressure continued to drop, and her pulse was growing fainter. While treating Ramirez, several hospital workers fainted and others experienced symptoms such as shortness of breath and muscle spasms. A skeleton crew stayed behind to help him in a desperate struggle to save Ramirezs life. At 8.50 PM, after 45 minutes of CPR and defibrillation, she was pronounced dead due to kidney failure. It took until May to find the last four hikers at the bottom of a ravine. Andresen suspected that the headspace would be a likely retreat for a noxious gas particularly in the container holding the bile, a yellowish secretion of the liver, where poisons often concentrate. This was the moment when things went from a bit odd to bizarre. Grant was a bit hesitant. [4] The Livermore scientists postulated on The New Detectives that the change in temperature of the blood drawn, from the 98.6F (37C) of Ramirez's body to the 64 F (18C) of the emergency department, may have contributed to its conversion from DMSO2 into DMSO4. Though other theories were proposed, including mass hysteria, the Coroners Office concluded Livermores explanation more probable. Although the books on Ramirezs death were now officially closed, there was no explanation for the outbreak of illness among the hospital staff. The worlds only Antarctic murder mystery remains unsolved. There clearly was something unusual going on, but nothing that could have resulted in Ramirezs death or the emergency room symptoms, Andresen says. Then with an electrical shock from the defibrillator, it could have become dimethyl sulfate, a toxic chemical that could have poisoned the staff. In 1994, a man threw his own son from the bridge under the belief that the child was the devil, further adding to Overtouns dark reputation. Add one oxygen atom to DMSO and you get dimethyl sulfone you change one solvent to another. Micozzi is a forensic pathologist who has helped investigate dozens of unusual deaths. When oxygen was added, it could have become dimethyl sulfone, forming the crystals in Ramirezs blood. Others developed breathing problems and one nurse experienced paralysis - and no one knew why. The Livermore scientists had been working on the case for free as a public service, after hours and on the weekends. Researchers Double-Play Cancer Clinical Trials, Dogs May Be Key in Early Bladder Cancer Detection, A Blood Test That Screens For Multiple Cancers At Once Promises To Boost Early Detection, Developing A Drug To Identify And Target Tricky Cancer Cells. Soviet authorities investigated and decided that six died from hypothermia and three from trauma. Whatever the true reason, Overtoun Bridge now has signs installed warning owners to keep their pets on leashes during their walks. I remember hearing someone scream, Welch says. By studying the mass spectra, Andresen divined the identity of a number of compounds that had been circulating in Ramirezs system just before her death; among them were the drugs lidocaine, Tylenol, codeine, and Tigan, an antinausea medication. One consulting group was an obscure outfit called the Forensic Science Center, at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Kane turned toward the door of the trauma room and swayed. That Andresen had found evidence of dimethyl sulfone in Ramirezs blood and organs pointed to her having first been exposed to DMSO. Soon her situation got worse and had to be laid out on a gurney. As if the situation wasn't strange enough already, suddenly, one after the other, nurses in the room started to faint. Thousands of Cuban scientists and officials investigated the case at the time and the country denied any involvement with a potential attack, but many people remain unconvinced. Andresen recalls some anxious questioning by the coroners office in hopes of finding a smoking gun, but he insisted that it appeared Ramirez had simply taken a lot of codeine and Tylenol, which in large, sustained doses can damage the liver. When there was such a nice match on the symptoms that was the first indication that we might really have had something, Grant says. Gloria Ramirez sickened half a dozen ER personnel after she came in. Welch called Andresen at Livermore and implored him to take another look. A trained forensic eye can quickly dismiss such misleading signals. In fact, Jacob says, the Livermore scientists should never have allowed the Riverside coroner to release their report. In one, Ramirez spread a cream on her skin that contained phencyclidine (better known as PCP, or angel dust) dissolved in a DMSO carrier base (a common way to take the drug). He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author. This scenario would explain the presence of the nicotinamide that Andresen had found in Ramirezs blood and tissues it had been mixed in with the PCP to extend it. Others developed breathing problems and one nurse experienced paralysis and no one knew why. (A liter of liquid dimethyl sulfate sells for around $32.) It is just as strong as kraft paper but has better printing qualities, such as stronger pigment retention. The REDSTONE, SPELL_MOB and SPELL_MOB_AMBIENT particles can also use custom colors by providing some specific data when spawning them. So far, so good. They continued on and found three more bodies in the snow. They searched for any of a host of noxious chemicals, including hydrogen sulfide (also known as sewer gas), an insidious poison that smells like rotten eggs and at high concentrations can kill a person after one or two whiffs, and phosgene, a gas with a dual identity on the one hand, a law-abiding ingredient used in the preparation of many organic chemicals, and on the other a terrible weapon for chemical warfare that tears open capillaries in the lungs, drowning its victims in blood. "[7], Grant's conclusions and speculations about the incident were evaluated by professional forensic scientists, chemists, and toxicologists, passed peer review in an accredited, refereed journal, and were published by Forensic Science International. She was sedated and then defibrillated by doctors, who noticed that her body was covered in an oily sheen. More recently new woodpulp has often been replaced with a high proportion of recycled fibers. Finally, the electric shocks during defibrillation could have converted DMSO2 to DMSO4, exposure to which could have caused the symptoms among those who were in the vicinity. Kane flailed her arms and kicked, and her face still burned. Two months before the fire, a traveling salesman had argued with George and told him that his house would go up in smoke and his children would be destroyed because of Georges anti-Mussolini statements. Kane handed the syringe to Welch and leaned closer to the dying woman to try to trace the odors source. Experts have speculated that Cuba or a third party could have been testing a sonic weapon. One reference was particularly enlightening, if grisly a classified Department of Defense document, issued in 1987, called the Reference Book on Chemical Warfare Information. 839. The crime scene quickly puzzled authorities. But there was another possible murderer considered: an owl. (Although dimethyl sulfate has been tested as a nerve gas, it has apparently never been manufactured for use in war.). At around 11 PM, a hazardous materials team from Riverside County arrived and started looking for known volatile toxins, including hydrogen sulfide, but found none. Menu for Verde Taqueria in Brookhaven, GA. TAQUERIADELSOL.COM GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE! Shortly after, everyone standing near the dying woman was starting to feel sick and nauseous. Meanwhile, Sally Balderas, a vocational nurse who had gone back inside to help take Ramirezs body into the isolation room, began retching and felt a burning sensation on her skin. At 8:50 Ochoa pronounced her dead. Manila paper is a relatively inexpensive type of paper, generally made through a less-refined process than other types of paper, and is typically made from semi-bleached wood fibers. But how did the dimethyl sulfone convert to the nerve gas dimethyl sulfate? Manila paper is a relatively inexpensive type of paper, generally made through a less-refined process than other types of paper, and is typically made from semi-bleached wood fibers.It is just as strong as kraft paper but has better printing qualities, such as stronger pigment retention. [2] Electric shocks administered during emergency defibrillation could have then converted the DMSO2 into dimethyl sulfate (DMSO4), the highly toxic dimethyl ester of sulfuric acid, exposure to which could have caused some of the reported symptoms of the emergency department staff. The solution became supersaturated, and dimethyl sulfone began to form beautiful white crystals, says Whipple, who did the experiment with Grant. It was later discovered that she was being treated for bipolar disorder, but had it under control for several years. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. With the rise of internet sleuths, true crime podcasts and videos, and discussion forums, its safe to say that many people love speculating about real-life mysteries. Because of concern that the stricken staff had been felled by a noxious chemical, they were stripped down to their underwear, and their clothes were bundled into plastic bags. Yet chemists have on several occasions discovered that seemingly impossible reactions turn out to be quite possible. It takes a really damn potent toxin to do all that, says Sheldon Wagner, a clinical toxicologist at Oregon State University. The second nurse fainted too and later a respiratory therapist was the third to pass out. A relatively unassuming bridge in Scotland holds a dark secret that has haunted the city of Glasgow, Scotland for years. Im a nuclear chemist, and my organic chemistry knowledge truthfully is minuscule, he says. But dimethyl sulfone itself couldnt knock out an emergency room, so when Andresen flew to Riverside on April 12 to brief the coroner, his conclusion was that he had found nothing that looked like a poison. Kane passed the blood sample to the attending doctor, who agreed that the blood smelled like ammonia, before giving the vial to a medical student named Julie Gorchynski, who noticed strange manila-colored particles in the sample. Its a B vitamin crucial to human health, but its also mixed into illegal drugs like methamphetamines. When Susan Kane drew blood at the hospital, however, the cool temperature had slowed the breakdown of the dimethyl sulfate. Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month. Authorities have disputed the helicopter idea because there was no noise reported at the time, the location was too low to allow helicopters in the airspace, and the nearby harbor would have been a better location to dispose of a body. Sulfates (SO4) are common in the body, so the two CH3 molecules may have linked up with them to form (CH3)2SO4 dimethyl sulfate. It incorporated all that was known about subatomic particles at the time and predicted the existence of additional particles as well. It took six months before the body could be removed and autopsied, when it was determined that Marks had died of menthol poisoning. Gloria Ramirez sickened half a dozen ER personnel after she came in. Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news, Want More? Gluons are also colored . The tan-ish color of the envelope is known as Buff or un-dyed. It took the fire department hours to respond and by then the house had burned completely to ash. So far, all the suspects have beaten the rap, except for one extraordinary hypothesis: a team of researchers think that a chain of chemical reactions may essentially have turned Gloria Ramirezs body into a canister of nerve gas. This is likely to occur again DMSO is not uncommon, asserts Barry Taylor, a microbiologist at Loma Linda University School of Medicine who has followed the case closely. Welch sniffed the syringe and smelled something, too: I thought it would smell like chemotherapy, the way the blood smells putrid when people are taking some of those drugs. Gorchynski had to spend two weeks in intensive care and use crutches for two months. Printed on 2 sides in black ink. It seemed that everybody in the athletic department was using dmso on injuries, he recalls. But Marks was engaged, seemingly enjoyed his work, and had dozens of other people to socialize with. Her blood smelled like ammonia and there were manila-colored particles floating in her blood. Three bodies had head and chest injuries consistent with intense force similar to that of a car crash. As if the situation wasnt strange enough already, suddenly, one after the other, nurses in the room started to faint. Colored Polystyrene Particles. Translation Context Grammar Check Synonyms Conjugation. Realizing dimethyl sulfate was their best lead yet, Richard Whipple and Jeffrey Haas, chemists at the forensic center, searched among the thousands of papers that have been written about these compounds. These are all professional emergency room workers. It was one of those deals that was pretty fortuitous, Grant says. Gorchynski too began feeling queasy. Image Source: brantford Using a standardized questionnaire, Osorio and Waller found that the people who had developed severe symptoms, such as loss of consciousness, shortness of breath, and muscle spasms, tended to have certain things in common. One of the most interesting theories is that Rivera was dropped through the roof of the hotel by a helicopter, possibly because of his work cleaning up the public image of his childhood friend Porter Stansberry. Some people have pointed out the similarities of the blobs to jellyfish, and have brought up the idea that the blobs could be somehow related to the creatures. Balderas endured bouts of apnea during a ten-day hospitalization. Other scientists are more convinced that action is necessary. People are frustrated and want us to look at these cases from a chemistry point of view, says Andresen. But given its potential side effects, its a dangerous remedy because in its readily available hardware- store grease-cutting form, its 99 percent pure. She was convinced that neither she nor anyone else that night had been party to mass hysteria. Five were hospitalized for the rest of the night. Nor has its use been limited to athletes. But other factors that correlated with severe symptoms did not appear to match a scenario in which fumes had been released: the survey found that those afflicted tended to be women rather than men, and they all had normal blood tests after the exposure. But if Ramirez had taken PCP, someone should have found some traces of the drug itself. DMSO is a solvent used as a powerful degreaser and sometimes as a home remedy for pain. This material-related article is a stub. Using a standardized questionnaire, Osorio and Waller found that the people who had developed severe symptoms such as loss of consciousness, shortness of breath, and muscle spasms tended to have certain things in common. In severe cases, the vapors kill. The crystals of dimethyl sulfone turned into dimethyl sulfate as well and vanished from sight. Yuri Yudin stated that he believed there was an explosion, possibly from a weapons test, and cover-up by the Soviet military. There were also injuries on the back of her head consistent with blunt force, and the coroner stated that he believed she had not died from a fall, but may have been beaten. On May 11th, 2000, Marks visited the stations doctor three times feeling ill and they attempted to ask for medical advice by satellite, but Marks died the next day. Medical personnel think of sterile as being without bugs, not without chemicals, Andresen says. Find Out About the Gaurs. There were multiple reports from locals that they had spotted the Sodder children in the years following the fire and a letter came to the family in 1968 claiming to be from a surviving son. For now, researchers cant find a similar poisoning in the medical annals, nor can they say whether hospitals should fret about future cases. She was taking shallow, rapid breaths. But the most interesting theory is also the most cartoonish. Medical staff also noticed a strange fruity garlic scent on her breath and manila-colored particles floating in Ramirezs blood. Six days later, the search party found the campsite with nine sets of footprints and two bodies nearby under a pine tree. Andresens team had a more likely explanation for the amine, though: they said it formed as Ramirezs body broke down the antinausea drug Tigan. Manila is most commonly used for making file folders[1] and envelopes, called Manila folders and Manila envelopes, respectively. They interviewed 34 hospital staff who had been working in the emergency room on February 19. Ana Maria Osorio and Kirsten Waller, on the case. This was the gas that poisoned the emergency room staff. As the vapors grew warmer, chemicals began to migrate along the column, sorting out along the way according to their electric charge and vapor pressure. Nevertheless, he thinks the hypothesis is a good one. Livermore, situated about 60 miles east of San Francisco, is rooted in the nuclear arms buildup that started shortly after World War II. Astrophysicist doing research for the University of Chicago access for as low $... 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