https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/...e-medicine
EXCERPTS: In the coming days [1982], three more women in the Chicago area died after taking extra-strength Tylenol...
[...] Emergency room physicians who saw the three family members poison by the tainted Tylenol, noticed they all had dilated pupils, an indication of brain damage. After lab results confirmed the pills were poisoned, authorities acted quickly to warn the public. News casts alerted people to throw out all Tylenol products. The maker of Tylenol willingly recalled all products across the nation, and offered a reward for information leading to the capture of the unknown assailant.
Authorities, however, never learned who did the poisoning or how they went about doing it. They suspected the poisoner didn’t work at a manufacturing plant, and instead took advantage of the fact that retail products at the time didn’t have security seals or tamper proof packaging.
It didn't take long for the Food and Drug Administration to respond, quickly mobilizing efforts stop lethal tampering in the future. Tamper proof packaging became mandatory, and the following year, the U.S. Congress passed an act making it a federal crime to tamper with consumer products. The pharmaceutical industry also shifted away from capsules, as they were easier to contaminate than tablets.
Such safety measures remain important, but the concern over cyanide has shifted to something else in the last few decades. The U.S. government considers cyanide a potential agent of chemical terrorism for tainting food and waters supplies. In 2019, an article in the Journal of Medical Toxicology warned that cyanide is “the ideal chemical weapon” because it is readily available and easy to use. Most concerningly, it's also highly lethal... (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPTS: In the coming days [1982], three more women in the Chicago area died after taking extra-strength Tylenol...
[...] Emergency room physicians who saw the three family members poison by the tainted Tylenol, noticed they all had dilated pupils, an indication of brain damage. After lab results confirmed the pills were poisoned, authorities acted quickly to warn the public. News casts alerted people to throw out all Tylenol products. The maker of Tylenol willingly recalled all products across the nation, and offered a reward for information leading to the capture of the unknown assailant.
Authorities, however, never learned who did the poisoning or how they went about doing it. They suspected the poisoner didn’t work at a manufacturing plant, and instead took advantage of the fact that retail products at the time didn’t have security seals or tamper proof packaging.
It didn't take long for the Food and Drug Administration to respond, quickly mobilizing efforts stop lethal tampering in the future. Tamper proof packaging became mandatory, and the following year, the U.S. Congress passed an act making it a federal crime to tamper with consumer products. The pharmaceutical industry also shifted away from capsules, as they were easier to contaminate than tablets.
Such safety measures remain important, but the concern over cyanide has shifted to something else in the last few decades. The U.S. government considers cyanide a potential agent of chemical terrorism for tainting food and waters supplies. In 2019, an article in the Journal of Medical Toxicology warned that cyanide is “the ideal chemical weapon” because it is readily available and easy to use. Most concerningly, it's also highly lethal... (MORE - missing details)