A possible chemical explanation for the events associated with the death of Gloria Ramirez at Riverside General Hospital.

The events associated with the death of Gloria Ramirez at Riverside General Hospital on 19 February 1994 have been portrayed as a major medical mystery. A potential chemical explanation for this incident has been developed. The hypothetical scenario depends upon the oxidation of a common solvent, dimethyl sulfoxide, through dimethyl sulfone to dimethyl sulfate. The latter compound is a volatile and highly toxic agent that can be quite hazardous to humans in small amounts. It is also environmentally nonpersistent. Much of the mystery surrounding the circumstances at the hospital may be explainable if this postulated metabolic pathway took place at the time of the emergency room incident. Although dimethyl sulfate was not detected in any analyses pertinent to this event, there are plausible scientific explanations to account for that fact. The sulfate anion, a hydrolysis product of dimethyl sulfate, was measured at an appreciably elevated concentration in Ramirez' blood. The descriptions of the symptoms of the hospital-staff victims appear quite consistent with dimethyl sulfate exposures. This paper attempts to make some sense of the reported data and eyewitness accounts, and perhaps provide new insight for any future research that could further explain this reported occurrence of toxic exposure.

Chemical and elemental comparison of two formulations of oleoresin capsicum.

In-custody deaths following the application of pepper spray weaponry by law enforcement personnel have increased in California over the last few years. Oleoresin capsicum (OC), an oily extract of hot peppers, is the active ingredient in the spray, but little detailed information on product mixtures is available. Since OC extracts contain a multitude of natural compounds at irregular concentrations, there could be considerable, variation in overall chemical composition among the different formulations of both 'natural' and 'synthetic' OC preparations. This was confirmed by organic and inorganic analyses performed on OC sprays produced by two manufacturers licensed for distribution within the state of California. The results indicated that the differences could lead to considerable inconsistency in weapon effectiveness, and suggested that more comprehensive studies are warranted.

Comprehensive forensic analyses of debris from the fatal explosion of a "cold fusion" electrochemical cell.

Selected components of explosion debris from the SRI International incident of January 2, 1992 were subjected to forensic analyses to elucidate potential causes of, or contributing factors to, the explosion. Interrogation of the debris encompassed nuclear, chemical, physical, and materials investigations. Nuclear studies for the determination of tritium and neutron-activation products in stainless steel and brass were conducted. No evidence for signature species indicative of orthodox nuclear events was detected. The inorganic and particulate analyses were likewise negative with respect to residues of unexpected chemical species. Such target compounds included conventional explosives, accelerants, propellants, or any exceptional industrial chemicals. Materials characterization identified the type of stainless steel used in the manufacture of the electrolytic cell as one relatively high in Mo concentration, probably type 316. Metallurgical analyses of the cell vessel wall and its detached base provided no evidence of corrosion or hydrogen embrittlement, leaving only ductile failure of the weld as contributing to the incident. The weld was found to have missed the center-line of the step joint, and the average penetration of the weld was measured to be 54%. The GC-MS analyses of trace organic components in the explosion debris provided a most interesting result. Although no evidence of organic explosives, oxidizers, or other unusual compounds was detected, the presence of an organic oil in the interior of the electrochemical cell was established. It is likely that the source of this oil was lubricating fluid from machining the metal cell components.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)