Last week Texas oncologist Ana Maria Gonzalez - Angulo wascharged with aggravate assaultafter attempting to envenom her lover and fellow doctor George Blumenschein with ethylene glycol — the toxic main ingredient of antifreeze — that she slipped into his coffee . Plentyofotherpeoplehave used similar plots for execution , and the most recent Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers reckon 6241 unplanned ethylene glycol poisonings in 2011 . Why do n’t any of these people realize they ’re eating poisonous substance ?
To his credit , Dr. Blumenschein appear to be one person whodidnotice something was off . He normally took his coffee bean blackness , but noticed that the cup Gonzalez - Angulo served him was sweet . When he involve for a different one , but she insist he cease the one he ’d been given and that she ’d just put a small Splenda in it . This helps illustrate why antifreeze poisoning is so mutual and often successful : Ethylene ethanediol tastes pretty ripe for something that can kill you .
Ethylene glycol is syrupy , odorless , and dulcet - tasting , which create it easy to mix into coffee berry , tea leaf , soda , and juice drinks undetected . Even in accidental exposure where the toxin is n’t masked by other flavor , the sweet taste does n’t set off any dismay bell the way of life other , sulfurous toxins do , andpeopleandpetsmay not notice anything is wrong .
The toxin primarily affects the skittish system and the kidneys , causing headaches , blur speech , dizziness , sickness and — as the consistence metabolizes it into other toxins — potentially fatal kidney dysfunction and unsuccessful person . A Lucy in the sky with diamonds of around athird of a cupcan be deadly .
To help forbid ethylene glycol poisonings , some land require that ingredient be added to antifreeze to make it bitter - tasting and unpalatable . Last year a number of antifreeze and self-propelling coolant makers concord to voluntarily tot bittering agent to their ware even where not expect by law . Once the new , complete products hit the shelves , would - be murderers will have to go back to the draught circuit card and regain another yummy toxicant ( unless they can get pure ethylene diol , often used in labs like Gonzalez - Angulo ’s ) . In the meantime , I enquire if this case will inspire imitator offence , like those the Georgia Poison Centersawafter the in high spirits - visibility ethylene diol poisoning of a constabulary policeman and the televised trial of his wife .
