In September of 1982 Mary Kellerman gave her 12 year old daughter a painkiller when she awoke during the night complaining of a sore throat. At 7 am the next morning, her daughter was found collapsed on the bathroom floor, and later pronounced dead.
Adam Janus, a postal worker in another Chicago suburb also died unexpectedly, though originally it was thought he had suffered from a heart attack. While his family gathered to mourn their loss, his brother and sister became ill and later died.
In the days that followed, three more unexplained deaths occurred in nearby Chicago suburbs. Investigators found that all of the victims had taken an extra strength Tylenol hours before their death. They suspected that someone had tampered with the medication.
Symptoms exhibited by each of the victims included:
weakness, dizziness, sleepiness
flushed, bright red, skin tone
headache
shortness of breath and rapid breathing
vomiting
confusion and disorientation
Part 2: Autopsy report
The medical examiner concluded that each of the victims had died of hypoxia. Hypoxia means that the person suffered from a lack of oxygen, or they were suffocated. The reason for the hypoxia is not always clear at the first examination. Even though the victims died of hypoxia, their level of oxygen in their blood was approximately 110 mm Hg. The normal range is 75-100 mm Hg.
The medical examiner also showed the tissue samples from the heart, lungs, and liver showed massive cell death. On further investigation, it was shown that the tissues had damage to the mitochondria of the cells.
Toxicology reports show that the victims had been poisoned with cyanide. The poison was traced back to extra strength Tylenol where the murderer had opened the capsules and replaced acetaminophen (a pain killer) with cyanide. Cyanide acts very quickly, often killing within minutes of ingestion and authorities were slow to identify the cause of the deaths. Once the cause was identified, stores removed Tylenol and other drugs from shelves.
No one was ever charged with the crime and it is still an ongoing investigation. Since the Chicago Tylenol murders, drug companies have changed how medicines are packaged. Cyanide is an effective poison because it directly interferes with cellular respiration that occurs in the mitochondria causing death within minutes of being ingested.
The diagram below shows the step in the electron transport chain that is blocked when cyanide is present in the body.
PROMPT:
1) Answer the following questions:
A) Explain why cyanide is toxic. How does it disrupt normal cellular activity?
B) Looking at the autopsy results, give at least one example of how the data collected is consistent with how cyanide works.
Transcribed Image Text:Tylenol are possible sumpects," he said were analyzed by Cook County doctors veft contained orty nomal
SXTRA
5 deaths tied to pills
Fear killer put cyanide in T'ylenol
RENGTH
TYLENO
KTRA
TRENOTH
YLENOL
By Jack Houston
and Jean Latz Griffin
CYANIDE-FILLED capsales of Extra-
Strength Tylenal were blamed for the
deaths of three persens in suburban Cook
County, the eritical illness of another.
and probably the deaths of two Du Page
County women Thursday.
As the tell rese, the foderal Food and
Drug Administration warned persons
hroughout the eountry against une of the
popular pain reliever in capsule form,
broadening an earlier warning
And in Du Page County, Dr. James P.
Paulissen, direcior of the health depart-
ment there, warned against taking any
form of Tylenol. "Although, only Extra
Strength Tylenel has been indieted,
prudence dictates that all forms of Samples taken from Tylenol capsules connected with one of the deathe
Tylenol are possihle suspecta," be said.
Tylenol, according te one busines com contained cyanide, while the one on the
munity expert, is the biggest chemicals associated with the product.
nonpreseription painkiller in the US.
with approximately S00 million in sales
this year.
Ture Chee Ono
were analyzed by Cook County doctors. The chunky sample (right]
left contaiñed oriy normal
Where the victims livad
f DA
Full coverage
THE COOK COUNTY medical examin • The itle red-and-white pills have a
er's office said the deatha of three per become a deadly game of cyanide-
sons in Arlington Heights and Elik Grove roulette, officials say, Sec. 2, pg. 3
Village are being treated as homicides Foderal officials warn consumers
because the capsules in bettles of the against taking any Tylenol capsule
product they uned had apparently been products temporarily. Sec. 2, pg. 2.
tampered with.
In Du Page County, Deputy Coroner paring noten, were the first to link
Peter Seikmann said one vietim was Tylenol to the deaths. Sec. 2. pg. 3.
found to have had Tylenal in her home
and an inspection of the capsules found
four cantaining eyanide. Cyanide was graphic tells of symptoms of the
found late Thursday in five of 10 Extra poisoning. Sec. 2, pg. 2.
Strength Tylenol capaules found in the
other vietim's purse.
"Appurently a very sophisticated, very cide simply becsuse somaone had to be
malicious persun is at large who had to crazy enough te do that. The thing i Vlage: Adam Janun, 7. of La S.
spend a lot of time and a lot of eflert to going to boll down te where's the stutt Mitchel Ave., Arlington Heights; his
lace these capaules with cyanide," said (cyanide) coming from?"
Arington
Highia
(Grove Vilege
DU PAGE CO
Eimhur
Two suburban firefighters, com-
Wintiet
Lle
CDicage
Cyanide can kill within minutes. A
LLNOS
UNOLCOON CO.
said: "We're ivestigating it an s homi
Trure
Bev D i ne
Te y San P
let CeH Fts af winfield
bruther, Stanley Janu, 25, of IS King
Transcribed Image Text:cyanide
Cyanide inhibits
cytochrome oxidase
Cyt b
Cyt c
২१ ११ १ Cyt
33333 (aža)
3333333
Cyt c
NADH
NAD* Succinate Fumarate
2H*+½ O2
Complex IV
H20
Complex I
Complex II
Complex III
Definition Definition Set of metabolic processes and reactions that produce energy from organic substances such as glucose. Cellular respiration takes place in the organism’s cells, where the chemical energy from nutrients or molecules of oxygen is converted into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Cellular respiration that occurs in the presence of oxygen is called aerobic respiration; in the absence of oxygen, it is called anaerobic respiration.
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![Tylenol are possible sumpects," he said were analyzed by Cook County doctors veft contained orty nomal
SXTRA
5 deaths tied to pills
Fear killer put cyanide in T'ylenol
RENGTH
TYLENO
KTRA
TRENOTH
YLENOL
By Jack Houston
and Jean Latz Griffin
CYANIDE-FILLED capsales of Extra-
Strength Tylenal were blamed for the
deaths of three persens in suburban Cook
County, the eritical illness of another.
and probably the deaths of two Du Page
County women Thursday.
As the tell rese, the foderal Food and
Drug Administration warned persons
hroughout the eountry against une of the
popular pain reliever in capsule form,
broadening an earlier warning
And in Du Page County, Dr. James P.
Paulissen, direcior of the health depart-
ment there, warned against taking any
form of Tylenol. "Although, only Extra
Strength Tylenel has been indieted,
prudence dictates that all forms of Samples taken from Tylenol capsules connected with one of the deathe
Tylenol are possihle suspecta," be said.
Tylenol, according te one busines com contained cyanide, while the one on the
munity expert, is the biggest chemicals associated with the product.
nonpreseription painkiller in the US.
with approximately S00 million in sales
this year.
Ture Chee Ono
were analyzed by Cook County doctors. The chunky sample (right]
left contaiñed oriy normal
Where the victims livad
f DA
Full coverage
THE COOK COUNTY medical examin • The itle red-and-white pills have a
er's office said the deatha of three per become a deadly game of cyanide-
sons in Arlington Heights and Elik Grove roulette, officials say, Sec. 2, pg. 3
Village are being treated as homicides Foderal officials warn consumers
because the capsules in bettles of the against taking any Tylenol capsule
product they uned had apparently been products temporarily. Sec. 2, pg. 2.
tampered with.
In Du Page County, Deputy Coroner paring noten, were the first to link
Peter Seikmann said one vietim was Tylenol to the deaths. Sec. 2. pg. 3.
found to have had Tylenal in her home
and an inspection of the capsules found
four cantaining eyanide. Cyanide was graphic tells of symptoms of the
found late Thursday in five of 10 Extra poisoning. Sec. 2, pg. 2.
Strength Tylenol capaules found in the
other vietim's purse.
"Appurently a very sophisticated, very cide simply becsuse somaone had to be
malicious persun is at large who had to crazy enough te do that. The thing i Vlage: Adam Janun, 7. of La S.
spend a lot of time and a lot of eflert to going to boll down te where's the stutt Mitchel Ave., Arlington Heights; his
lace these capaules with cyanide," said (cyanide) coming from?"
Arington
Highia
(Grove Vilege
DU PAGE CO
Eimhur
Two suburban firefighters, com-
Wintiet
Lle
CDicage
Cyanide can kill within minutes. A
LLNOS
UNOLCOON CO.
said: "We're ivestigating it an s homi
Trure
Bev D i ne
Te y San P
let CeH Fts af winfield
bruther, Stanley Janu, 25, of IS King](/v2/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.bartleby.com%2Fqna-images%2Fquestion%2F44d2d90f-4b1a-474f-9ddd-090dac3d1fa4%2F97d3bbd2-9e80-471f-9dee-46072631423b%2Fokbunwfs_processed.png&w=3840&q=75)
