One of the poisons experts suspect may have caused Sunanda's death is polonium-210, a toxin thousands of times more deadly than cyanide. Discovered in 1898 by Marie Curie, it was not known much outside the nuclear power and arms industry.
Two famous cases of polonium poisoning are
This radioactive element is produced as a by-product in nuclear fission reactions (in reactors) and occurs in very minute quantities in nature, including in tobacco. It is estimated by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission that only about 100 grams is produced in a year in the world's nuclear reactors. It is very tightly regulated and experts believe that it will be virtually impossible for a lay person to either make it or acquire it.
Polonium is 250,000 times more deadly for humans than hydrogen cyanide. It's mode of action is not chemical interaction but rather the fact that it emits a steady stream of alpha particles, that is, doubly charged particles that destroy organs and tissue.
It doesn't have the capacity to cross the outer layer of human skin. But if inhaled or ingested or absorbed, it will generate the lethal alpha radiation inside the body, progressively destroying everything. If taken in, polonium can exist in human bodies for 30 to 50 days. All this while, it will keep burning up organs, tissues, vessels and so on, causing a rapid and painful decline to death.
Since cases of polonium poisoning are rare, not much is known about treatment although some successful experiments have been done with mice.
Two famous cases of polonium poisoning are
- One was that of Yasser Arafat, the legendary Palestinian leader who died in 2004.
- A Russian spy, Alexander Litvinenko, who had fallen foul of Russian authorities and fled to London, was murdered after he drank tea laced with polonium.
This radioactive element is produced as a by-product in nuclear fission reactions (in reactors) and occurs in very minute quantities in nature, including in tobacco. It is estimated by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission that only about 100 grams is produced in a year in the world's nuclear reactors. It is very tightly regulated and experts believe that it will be virtually impossible for a lay person to either make it or acquire it.
Polonium is 250,000 times more deadly for humans than hydrogen cyanide. It's mode of action is not chemical interaction but rather the fact that it emits a steady stream of alpha particles, that is, doubly charged particles that destroy organs and tissue.
It doesn't have the capacity to cross the outer layer of human skin. But if inhaled or ingested or absorbed, it will generate the lethal alpha radiation inside the body, progressively destroying everything. If taken in, polonium can exist in human bodies for 30 to 50 days. All this while, it will keep burning up organs, tissues, vessels and so on, causing a rapid and painful decline to death.
Since cases of polonium poisoning are rare, not much is known about treatment although some successful experiments have been done with mice.
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