Word: sodium
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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FlyBy's been following the poisoning incident at Harvard Medical School that we told you about yesterday morning where six researchers went to the hospital after drinking coffee contaminated with a potentially deadly agent found in many biochemical labs called sodium azide...
Officials and administrators at HMS wouldn't deny the charge. HMS spokesman David J. Cameron told The Crimson two nights ago that investigators hadn't eliminated any theory as to how the sodium azide got in the coffee machine, and Mabel P. Duyao, director of research at the Pathology Department, left the door open whether the presence of the chemical was due to malice...
...funny thing about sodium azide is that it usually saves lives. That's because, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sodium azide is best known for its role in air bags. When a car crashes, an electric charge causes the sodium azide to explode and, in turn, release nitrogen to inflate...
...this case, though, sodium azide almost did the opposite. When consumed, inhaled, or touched, it's said to have symptoms similar to cyanide: rapid breathing, dizziness, and an increased heart rate...
These symptoms prompted the six to rush to Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center (one in an ambulance, according to Mabel P. Duyao, research director in the HMS Pathology Department) on August 26. The Harvard University Police Department is in the process of figuring out how the sodium azide got into the coffee machine, but as of now, what happened is still a mystery...