Tag: poisonings

Berkeley Scientist Caught on Video Poisoning Female Co-Worker

A chemical engineer in California was caught on video poisoning his female co-worker.

David Xu, 41, a scientist at Berkeley Engineering and Research, had secretly been poisoning his colleague, Rong Yuan, with cadmium for nearly two years.

Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal. Yuan had suffered vomiting and hair loss for two years before discovering that her co-worker was poisoning her.

Rong Yuan saw countless doctors as her condition worsened.

One day, Yuan’s mother noticed an unusual odor coming from her daughter’s water bottle.

This prompted Yuan to set up a hidden camera at her desk, and that is when she caught Xu pouring the cadmium into her water bottle.

In 2019, Xu was charged with premeditated murder, but in a plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to poisoning, and he was sentenced to two years’ probation.

Keep reading

British chemical warfare commentator’s MI6 ties exposed in leaked emails

Private messages show show Hamish De Bretton-Gordon, a top British pundit on the Salisbury poisoning incident, was a close associate of the MI6 officer who handled the Russian intelligence defector at the center of the scandal — and reaped considerable benefits from his proximity to the case.

This September, a former British Army officer named Hamish De Bretton-Gordon filed a column with the UK Telegraph complaining that “Russian bots” had “tried to make out that I’m part of a security service conspiracy.” Having shot to prominence as a media commentator on chemical and biological weapons after the alleged poisoning of turncoat Russian spy Sergei Skripal, De Bretton-Gordon dismissed accusations that he collaborated with UK intelligence as the product of the “Kremlin’s malign tactics.”

Despite his fervent denials, leaked emails reviewed by The Grayzone indicate that De Bretton-Gordon has spent years privately coordinating his public statements with senior British military and intelligence figures. The correspondences show him training operatives in Turkey and instructing Israeli military figures on Syria’s still-elusive stockpile of chemical weapons, “and a bit of Novichok,” referring to the Russian toxin supposedly used to poison Skripal.

Keep reading

Pesticides poison nearly half of world’s farmers each year – study

Nearly half of the world’s estimated 934 million farmers suffer unintentional pesticide poisoning each year, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Frontiers in Public Health.

The study, conducted by researchers from the Pesticide Action Network (PAN), analyzed 214 publications from 2006 to 2023 alongside World Health Organization mortality data. It estimated up to 433 million cases of unintentional acute pesticide poisoning annually, affecting around 46% of agricultural workers worldwide. About 11,000 cases are fatal each year.

The burden falls disproportionately on the Global South, researchers found.

South and Southeast Asia and eastern Africa recorded the highest estimated numbers of cases. In Burkina Faso, nearly 84% of farmers are estimated to suffer acute pesticide poisoning each year.

“Behind these staggering numbers are farmers, workers and families paying a terrible human price for pesticide exposure,” PAN India Executive Director Jayakumar Chelaton said. “This research exposes a crisis that can no longer be ignored.”

Keep reading

Romania’s Poison Mystery: Ministers, Intelligence Chiefs, Public Figures and Mercury Allegations Haunt Political Elite

The renewed focus on the alleged poisoning of former Romanian minister Doina Pană—coupled with similar, more recent cases—has revived public debate over a string of mysterious illnesses targeting Romanian political figures over the last two decades.

Some observers say similarities between these cases—sudden health collapses, confirmed heavy metal contamination, years of suffering, and investigations that either stalled or quietly disappeared—are simply too striking to ignore outright.

One of the most frequently cited examples is former Interior Minister Ioan Rus, of the Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSD). According to reports, Rus allegedly suffered prolonged poisoning with heavy metals while serving at the highest levels of government.

The symptoms were severe and debilitating. Rus reportedly lost nearly 100 pounds as his health deteriorated dramatically over an extended period.

Friends and associates described a prolonged struggle between life and death. He underwent treatment in multiple hospitals before eventually seeking care abroad, including in Vienna.

People close to the case say Romanian authorities never seriously clarified what happened. Despite widespread speculation and internal discussions within political circles, the matter faded without definitive public conclusions.

The allegations surrounding Rus are especially striking because they fit a pattern repeatedly mentioned in discussions about political poisonings: slow exposure through everyday consumables such as tea, coffee, or juice.

That same alleged method was later described by Doina Pană, the former Minister of Water and Forests, herself. She believes mercury may have been administered through fruit juice prepared at the ministry by someone she trusted.

Another case drawing renewed attention is that of former PSD deputy Vasile Bleotu. Bleotu became known for leading parliamentary efforts targeting figures tied to the administration of former President Traian Băsescu.

Shortly after his political offensive intensified, Bleotu reportedly developed serious medical problems. According to accounts cited in Romanian media commentary, tests later revealed dangerously high mercury contamination levels in his body.

Bleotu survived, but his political career effectively ended. Supporters and allies claimed the poisoning was linked to his anti-corruption investigations and political activities.

Yet, just as in Pană’s case, no clear legal resolution emerged. The allegations remained suspended between rumor, medical evidence, and institutional silence.

Keep reading

Dangerous Substance Found in Baby Food Jars Leads to Arrest, Discovery of Extortion Scheme

A 39-year-old man allegedly put rat poison in at least five baby food jars sold across central Europe, leading to his arrest in Austria.

The poisonings resulted in HiPP, the manufacturer of the baby food, recalling jars across Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, according to a report from the Associated Press.

The Burgenland State Criminal Police Office started investigating after a baby food jar in Eisenstadt, Austria, was determined to contain rat poison on April 18.

Investigators later found that jars of 190-gram carrot-and-potato baby food jars — meant for consumption by 5-month-olds — were the products impacted by the tampering.

They were sold in SPAR food markets in Austria.

HiPP recalled all of its baby food jars sold in SPAR stores, with vendors in Slovakia and the Czech Republic also recalling HiPP products as a precaution.

The Burgenland State Criminal Police Office announced the arrest but declined to provide further details, saying they could jeopardize the investigation, according to a report from USA Today.

The suspect was arrested in Salzburg, a city that borders Germany.

HiPP said that the poisonings may have come as an attempt to extort the company.

An email was sent to HiPP two months ago demanding $2.3 million in the following six days, although the message was not noticed until two weeks after the deadline had already passed.

The email was sent to an address that was not frequently checked.

The National Pesticide Information Center at Oregon State University says that rat poison, which is designed to kill mice and rats, can be lethal to children.

Keep reading

CULTURE OF DEATH: Canadian Man Who Mailed Poison to People and Helped Them Kill Themselves Will Plead Guilty to Minor Charges To Avoid 14 Murder Counts

Law’s crimes are another nightmarish story in the sinking of Canada into the culture of death.

We have been reporting here on TGP about the rampant culture of death in Canada, and most specifically about the murderous saga of Kenneth Law, as you can read in Canadian Man Charged With 14 Counts of Murder for Mailing Poison to Young People, Helping Them Kill Themselves.

Today, news broke that, according to Law’s lawyer, he will plead guilty to ‘counseling or aiding suicide’.

In turn, Canadian prosecutors will withdraw no less than 14 murder charges filed against him.

Associated Press reported:

“’The plea will be to the charges of aiding suicide’, [lawyer Matthew Gourlay] said in an email. […] Law’s case is scheduled to return to a Newmarket, Ontario, court on Monday afternoon. Calls to Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General weren’t immediately answered.

Keep reading

The BIZARRE reason why the ABC shielded the Mushroom Killer

A series of leaked internal emails has revealed that ABC News Editorial Policy Manager Mark Maley ordered journalists not to publish “unflattering” photos of Erin Patterson, a woman convicted of murdering three people, out of concern they might cause her emotional “distress”.

The taxpayer-funded images, captured in May by international agency Agence France-Presse, showed Patterson being led into Latrobe Valley court in Morwell. Legal restrictions had initially blocked their release, but those lapsed following Patterson’s conviction on Monday for the murders of her ex-husband’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and family friend Heather Wilkinson. She was also found guilty of attempting to murder Ian Wilkinson.

Despite the photos being taken legally in public, and made available to global media, Maley instructed ABC producers not to use them. “Gratuitous invasion on her distress/privacy,” he described them in an internal email, according to media reports.

ABC’s 7.30 executive producer Joel Tozer pushed back, arguing the images were vital for coverage of a highly significant, visually restricted case. “No one has been able to see (Patterson) for the past 10 weeks,” Tozer wrote.

Keep reading

Novak Djokovic claims he was ‘poisoned’ during COVID detention before Australian Open

Novak Djokovic has said he was “poisoned” by the food he ingested while detained during his 2022 Australian Open visa saga, the former world number one told GQ in an interview released on Thursday.

The Serbian 24-times major winner had his visa cancelled ahead of the tournament following days of drama over Australia’s COVID-19 entry rules and his unvaccinated status, and was detained in a Melbourne hotel shared with asylum-seekers.

He was initially granted a visa exemption but it was revoked by the Australian Border Force, which led to the Serbian star being held in hotel detention.

“I realised that in that hotel in Melbourne, I was fed with some food that poisoned me,” Djokovic told GQ.

“I had some discoveries when I came back to Serbia. I never told this to anybody publicly, but discoveries that I was, I had a really high level of heavy metal. Heavy metal.

“I had the lead, very high level of lead and mercury.”

Keep reading

Unconfirmed Reports Say Ousted Syrian Leader Bashar Al-Assad May Have Been Poisoned in Moscow in an Assassination Attempt

After the demise of the decades-long Assad rule over Syria, his escape and subsequent asylum in Russia have been filled with rumors.

To begin with, Bashar Al-Assad and his family were on a plane that, on approach to a Russian air base, turned off the transponder, leading many to believe his plane had been shot down.

Since arriving in Russia, his wife Asma has been said to be either asking for divorce and longing to go back to her native UK or else suffering from a terminal disease.

Now, a Russian Telegram channel has made headlines around the world with the claim that Assad may have been poisoned.

This has sparked fierce online speculation about the fate of the Syrian dictator.

Keep reading

Police Arrest TikTok ‘Prankster’ For Spraying Poison All Over Food in Walmart, Causing $1 Million in Damage, and Posting Video of Crime to Social Media

A so-called TikTok ‘prankster’ known for wreaking havoc on the public for social media views, was arrested for spraying poison all over food in a Mesa, Arizona, Walmart.

The suspect, 27-year-old Charles Smith, was stupid enough to video his face while committing the crime. He then uploaded the video of himself committing the felony to social media.

According to court documents, Smith went back inside Walmart 10 minutes after he committed the crime and “attempted to collect the items he sprayed.”

Smith wheeled some of the poisoned items to the back of Walmart.

Walmart was forced to remove nearly $1 million in damaged food/suspected damaged food after Charles Smith ran through the store and sprayed poison all over the place.

Mesa police arrested Charles Smith on Saturday and charged him with Introducing Poison (felony), Criminal Damage (misdemeanor), Endangerment (misdemeanor), Theft (misdemeanor).

Keep reading