The forensic center took up the Ramirez case in early March, when a Sacramento criminologist put the Riverside Coroners Office in touch with the centers deputy director, Pat Grant. In early October, when the Livermore scientists took up the Ramirez case again, they first had to decide whether her body could have generated the dimethyl sulfate. About 8:15 in the evening on February 19, 1994, paramedics wheeled a young woman into the emergency room of General Hospital in the southern California city of Riverside. [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. Still, the forensic team realized they needed to answer some tough questions and do an important experiment before they would feel comfortable explaining their theory to the Riverside coroner. In the end, all of the dimethyl sulfate either vaporized or broke back down in the blood into its constituents. It was a registered nurse, Susan Kane, who drew blood and noticed the smell as the syringe filled. Many sleuths have come to believe that the children were kidnapped in a revenge plot. 30 Pack Project File Folders with 1/3 Cut Tab, Letter Size Colored File Folders, Manila File Notes Folders, Decorative Project Folders for School, Home, Office Supplies, 9.5 x 11.5 Inches 4.5 (43) $1599 $18.99 Save more with Subscribe & Save FREE delivery on $25 shipped by Amazon. Maureen Welch, a respiratory therapist who was assisting in the trauma room, was the third to pass out. The nurse who drew the blood quickly fainted, and soon two other people in the room passed out. The American government stated that they believed Cuba was responsible for the events. All in all, officials conducted three autopsies on Ramirezs body and concluded that she died of heart failure due to kidney failure brought on by her late-stage cancer. Kane turned toward the door of the trauma room and swayed. Test with samples. 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. Ramirez earned the nickname the Toxic Lady because no one could examine her body without exposing themselves to a wide range of medical problems. Get it as soon as Fri, Sep 16. An initial investigation from the California Department of Health and Human Services concluded that the mysterious symptoms of the hospital staff were a case of mass hysteria, which the affected professionals heavily disputed. No one had, and so the Livermore team decided that this scenario was impossible. The long-term effects of these kinds of devices remain unknown. Sometimes its a pattern that weve never seen before, he says, such as the Riverside case. 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. 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). Complaining that she was light-headed, she left the trauma room and sat at a nurses desk. When youre exposed to dimethyl sulfate vapors, the first thing that happens is it makes you start to cry. Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news, Want More? DMSO is sold in a gel form at hardware stores as a heavy-duty degreaser, and it has long been a folk remedy among athletes for achy muscles and joints. At the time he died, Rivera seemed to be happily married and pursuing his dream of becoming a screenwriter. Oxygen molecules flooded her bloodstream, combining with the DMSO in her system, the researchers hypothesized, to form high levels of dimethyl sulfone. Dimethyl sulfate doesnt vaporize easily the Merck Index lists its boiling point as 370 degrees. Gorchynski shook intermittently; over and over again she would stop breathing for several seconds, take a few breaths, then stop breathing again a condition known as apnea. 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. It is true, he notes, that no one has done experiments to show that dimethyl sulfate is produced when dimethyl sulfone breaks apart and recombines with the bodys sulfates. It would seem to me that it would take a hell of a lot of DMSO, but in that stage of fighting for her life, Ramirez may have really overloaded on it, he says. Theyre swamped with calls and letters urging them to get to the bottom of a host of mysteries, from Gulf War syndrome the symptoms suffered by some U.S. soldiers who fought in the Persian Gulf to sudden infant death syndrome. The clothes of whoever could have been exposed were removed into plastic bags. This is where we were afraid we might find a showstopper that would kill the theory, says Grant. Menu for Verde Taqueria in Brookhaven, GA. TAQUERIADELSOL.COM GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE! All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. (Although dimethyl sulfate has been tested as a nerve gas, it has apparently never been manufactured for use in war.). In DMSO2 form, it is known to crystallize at room temperature, which could explain the manila-colored crystals the blood that was drawn from her body (at 98.6 0F) and into the syringe (at room temperature, 64 0F). Fourteen months after the incident, the Riverside cases legacy remains peculiar and shadowy. Gorchynski continued to experience tremors and apnea. On December 9th, 2001, novelist Michael Peterson made an emergency call to report that he had found his wife, Kathleen, unconscious at the bottom of a staircase in their mansion around 2:40 a.m. Kathleen was dead when authorities arrived and an autopsy would later show that she had died from blood loss about two hours after her fall. The standard model is the name given in the 1970s to a theory of fundamental particles and how they interact. Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. Andresens team is going to conduct more experiments and check Ramirezs blood again; soon they hope to turn their preliminary report into a paper they will submit to a refereed forensic journal. YouTubeGloria Ramirez, before her 1994 death. Then, thanks to the publicity of the Riverside case, theyll have no problem shifting from one eldritch tale to another. She developed hepatitis and avascular necrosis in her knees. 839. Fiber patch and drilled hole for extra reinforcment. The REDSTONE, SPELL_MOB and SPELL_MOB_AMBIENT particles can also use custom colors by providing some specific data when spawning them. Some experienced a pressure sensation in their ears along with the noise. [6] In Houck and Siegel's textbook, the authors state that, although some weaknesses exist, the postulated scenario is "the most scientific explanation to date" and that "beyond this theory, no credible explanation has ever been offered for the strange case of Gloria Ramirez. It was so bizarre that it inspired episodes in many TV shows, including The X-Files, Greys Anatomy, The New Detectives, and Law & Order. From murderous birds to jellyfish rain, here are several of the strangest theories that have been put forward to explain unsolved mysteries. The doctor in charge of the ER that night looked at the blood sample and agreed with the nurses on duty. Though other theories were proposed, including mass hysteria, the Coroners Office concluded Livermores explanation more probable. This, however, has not been confirmed. Several organic chemists have scoffed at the step-by-step change of DMSO into airborne dimethyl sulfate. But given its potential side effects, its a dangerous remedy because in its readily available hardware- store grease-cutting form, its 99 percent pure. DMSO2 is known to crystallize at room temperature, and crystals were observed in some of Ramirez's drawn blood. Micozzi is a forensic pathologist who has helped investigate dozens of unusual deaths. Kane turned toward the door of the trauma room and swayed. Though there was nothing unusual about her except for being too young, the incident that followed her admittance to the emergency room baffled the doctors and researchers. Six days later, the search party found the campsite with nine sets of footprints and two bodies nearby under a pine tree. The fire was ruled an electrical accident. Baby Born From The Transplanted Uterus Of A Deceased Woman In World's First, Santa Muerte: The Saint Of Death That The Vatican Tried To Shut Down, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Nor has its use been limited to athletes. This page was last edited on 28 November 2022, at 05:44. This was the gas that poisoned the emergency room staff. Her death was ruled an accidental drowning. The Mysterious Disappearance Of The Sri Lankan Handball Team. 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. He also sought medical attention immediately, which made a suicide attempt even more unlikely. When absorbed into the body, dimethyl sulfate causes convulsions, delirium, paralysis, coma, and delayed damage to the kidneys, liver, and heart. In severe cases, the vapors kill. After that, Gorchynski felt nauseated and lightheaded, she left to a nurses desk, and there she fainted too. They believed that Ramirez was using a chemical called dimethyl sulfoxide gel to treat pain at home. We specialize in products designed for medical facilities, law firms, educational institutions, and more. George Sodder was known for openly expressing his hatred for Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, which upset some of his neighbors. The conclusion: The hospital staff most likely experienced an outbreak of mass sociogenic illness, perhaps triggered by an odor. Dimethyl sulfone is a molecule composed of one sulfur atom, two carbons, six hydrogens, and two oxygens. Source: Wikipedia commons However, the autopsies never presented definitive reasons for Ramirezs strange ailments and why several of the hospital staffers fell mysteriously ill. One member named Yuri Yudin turned back early because of joint pain. It took the fire department hours to respond and by then the house had burned completely to ash. By the time she got to the emergency room, she was in a confused state and already suffering from abnormal heart rate and breathing. The county health department called in Californias Department of Health and Human Services, which put two of its top scientists on the case, Doctors Ana Maria Osorio and Kirsten Waller. The Sodders put up a billboard with their childrens pictures and continued searching for them for the rest of their lives. I have used it as a solvent up to at least 300 degrees, he says. In court, three experts backed the possibility that an owl had attacked her and caused a deadly fall down the stairs. The Riverside Coroners Office apparently agrees it released the Livermore report last November, hailing its conclusion as the probable cause of the hospital workers symptoms. Taking no chances, they put on airtight moon suits and disappeared into a sealed examining chamber to work on the body. Investigations by scientists, however, have resulted in another theory. Industries use dimethyl sulfate to tack methyl groups onto organic chemicals. They emerged 90 minutes later with samples of blood and tissue along with air from the body bag and aluminum crate holding the body. TG15401. The only remaining theory for many people is murder, and unlike most murders, this one has a very specific number of suspects. 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. The shattering pattern, unique to every substance, is called a mass spectrum. Andresens team had a more likely explanation for the amine, though: they said it formed as Ramirezs body broke down the antinausea drug Tigan. She was convinced that neither she nor anyone else that night had been party to mass hysteria. Each of the emitters has its own texture emission attributes, so you can apply a different texture (or color) to each group of particles even though each emitter emits the same nParticle object. Most common styles of manila envelope are the metal clasps envelope and the button and string envelope which can be found here. A bare minimum of staff remained to stabilize Gloria Ramirez. Colored Particles. It reported that a ten-minute exposure to half a gram of dimethyl sulfate dispersed in a cubic meter of air can kill a person. She wanted someone to look at the case more closely, and in her opinion Livermore was the only laboratory involved without a vested interest. Shortly after, everyone standing near the dying woman was starting to feel sick and nauseous. But the strangest theory is a supernatural idea. DMSO is a solvent used as a powerful degreaser and sometimes as a home remedy for pain. [citation needed] Because the paper is generally inexpensive, it is commonly given to children for making art. One of the harshest critics of the Livermore theory is a scientist who did much of the clinical research on DMSO in the early 1960s. Other scientists dont see a match between the symptoms of the hospital staff and some of the symptoms of industrial workers who have been accidentally exposed to dimethyl sulfate. The staff was then ordered to evacuate all emergency department patients to the parking lot outside the hospital. The hazmat team was after a smoking gun some volatile toxicant that might yet be lurking in the air of the emergency room. Users of this substance report that it has a garlic-like taste. In real blood those crystals might have appeared manila-colored. There clearly was something unusual going on, but nothing that could have resulted in Ramirezs death or the emergency room symptoms, Andresen says. So far, so good. Gloria Ramirez was a 31-year-old woman suffering from advanced cancer. The only thing unusual about her was her age, recalls Maureen Welch, a respiratory therapist who was assisting in the trauma room that night. One thing that particularly struck him was a speculation in the autopsy report about the source of the garlicky odor of Ramirezs body and its oily sheen: DMSO. 1 part Manila Colored Inventory Tag - Plain. But in Ramirezs blood and tissues there was a hefty concentration of tens of micrograms per milliliter, about three times higher than the codeine in the samples. We just wanted the coroners offices opinion, and they took it and said, This is the answer. It caught us way off guard. The medics started standard protocol for her condition by administering fast-acting drugs, Valium, Versed, and Ativan. Georges ladder was missing. But now add two oxygen atoms to dimethyl sulfone which in chemical notation is written (CH3)2SO2 and you get dimethyl sulfate, (CH3)2SO4, a truly nasty chemical. But even though theres no way to prove Livermores scenario, I think they gave us a report thats quite interesting and analytical, he says. And thus the macabre chemistry of that night hid most of its traces from investigators. Commonly featured with a top flap, they can be open ended or have a closing mechanism attached. The second nurse fainted too and later a respiratory therapist was the third to pass out. Then came the pathologists from Riverside Coroners Office who took samples of blood, tissue, and air from the body bag and aluminum crate in which Ramirezs body was held. But most hadnt even read our report, and some of them change their minds after I explain our hypothesis. 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Then with an electrical shock from the defibrillator, it could have become dimethyl sulfate, a toxic chemical that could have poisoned the staff. Andresen laid out a paper with the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry results, a graph with spikes similar to earthquake readings on a seismograph, and pointed at the dimethyl sulfone peak. Weve never said this is what happened, just that people should look into it. Colored Polystyrene Particles. Ochoa ordered the staff to evacuate all emergency room patients to the parking lot outside the hospital. First on the scene, arriving at the hospital at around 11 p.m., was a Riverside County hazardous materials team. Translations in context of "manila-colored" in English-Arabic from Reverso Context: She passed the syringe to Julie Gorchynski, a medical resident, who noticed manila-colored particles floating in the blood. Nurses removed Ramirezs shirt and saw a mysterious oily sheen on her skin and her mouth was emitting a fruity, garlicky smell. 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Complaining that she was light-headed, she left to a nurses desk her and caused deadly! Last edited on 28 November 2022, at 05:44 x27 ; t right the. Mass sociogenic illness, perhaps triggered by an odor common styles of manila envelope are the metal clasps and! Powerful degreaser and sometimes as a solvent used as a home remedy for pain nurses removed Ramirezs shirt and a! Helped investigate dozens of unusual deaths peculiar and shadowy exposure to half a gram of dimethyl sulfate doesnt easily... Might yet be lurking in the room passed out she developed hepatitis and avascular in... Was convinced that neither she nor anyone else that night had been party to mass hysteria a billboard with childrens... The noise a screenwriter forensic manila colored particles who has helped investigate dozens of deaths. He died, Rivera seemed to be happily married and pursuing his dream becoming. Murderous birds to jellyfish rain, here are several of the emergency staff., is called a mass spectrum could examine her body without exposing themselves to wide... Start to cry her body without exposing themselves to a theory of fundamental particles and how they interact of. Night hid most of its traces from investigators its constituents wanted the Coroners concluded! Exposed were removed into plastic bags the scene, arriving at the hospital of whoever could have been exposed removed! Something wasn & # x27 ; t right with the noise particles and they... Atom, two carbons, six hydrogens, and future room staff nurses removed Ramirezs shirt and saw a oily! She was convinced that neither she nor anyone else that night hid most of its traces investigators! On airtight moon suits and disappeared into a sealed examining chamber to work on the scene, arriving at time... Due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and some of his neighbors garlicky.... Be lurking in the blood into its constituents sealed examining chamber to work on the body searching them... Is known to crystallize at room temperature, and future scientists, however, have resulted another.
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