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Boy Suspected of Trying to Poison Math Teacher
Los Angeles Times ^ | 10-10-2003 | H.G. Reza

Posted on 10/10/2003, 1:41:42 PM by boris

Boy Suspected of Trying to Poison Math Teacher

CALIFORNIA:

The student, 16, put eyedrops in his instructor's water bottle in an attempt to make her ill, authorities in Placentia say.

By H.G. Reza, Times Staff Writer

A Placentia student who was struggling with algebra has been arrested and charged in an attempted poisoning of his math teacher, officials said.

The boy, 16, put eyedrops in his teacher's water bottle Friday at El Camino Real High School to give her what he expected would be "an explosive case of diarrhea," said Placentia police Det. Corrine Loomis.

The boy was not identified because of his age.

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: education; math; poison; teacher
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1 posted on 10/10/2003, 1:41:43 PM by boris
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Comment #2 Removed by Moderator

To: boris
Somebody's been watching too much CSI.
3 posted on 10/10/2003, 1:43:02 PM by Wolfie
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To: boris
Claim: A few drops of Visine brand eye drops taken internally will cause diarrhea.

Status: False.

Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2003]



Origins: The desire for revenge runs deep in all of us. Everyone who has ever been wronged has at one time or another felt the urge to strike a counterblow. Most of us don't indulge in this pursuit because we've deemed the cost of getting even too high to justify the benefits gained, yet we revel in thoughts of comeuppances doled out by others. Such imaginings give us the chance to vicariously experience the joys of retribution, joys we're not likely to sample in real life.

The "Visine slipped into the drink" pay back carries additional appeal because it seems to offer an effective yet harmless form of retaliation that could be easily and furtively administered even by the wimpiest of revenge seekers. Also, the mental image of an enemy sent hotfooting for the toilet is a hugely satisfying one, especially in a society that views fecal output as something to be ashamed of. An act of spite that forces the victim into making repeated visits to the john is regarded as not only extremely inconveniencing to him, but degrading as well.

Yet all is not well in revenge land. While it is true that Visine is readily obtainable (it's an non-prescription eye drop manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer), a drink spiked with it not only won't produce diarrhea in the one unfortunate enough to drink the concoction, but ingestion of the product is downright dangerous, making this "harmless" form of retaliation fraught with hazard.

The active ingredient in Visine eye drops is Tetrahydrozoline HCl 0.05%. Swallowing this substance can result in a number of nasty effects, including:

Lowering body temperature to dangerous levels

Making breathing difficult, or even halting it entirely

Blurring vision

Causing nausea and vomiting

Elevating and then dropping blood pressure

Causing seizures or tremors

Sending the ingester into a coma

Pfizer's cautions to users of Visine include, "If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away." In view of the above list, that advice should not be taken lightly.

One thing tetrahydrozoline has not been known to do is to cause sudden onset bouts of severe diarrhea. Although this belief has been around for decades, and everyone knows someone who knows someone who really did administer a Visine mickey to a deserving miscreant and thereby caused him an immediate serious case of the trots, there's no documented evidence the product would have that effect. Of the Visine poisoning cases studied by medical observers, we found none that mentioned diarrheal output brought about by the drug.

Yet if Visine doesn't cause diarrhea, it has done things far more terrible. Drinking it can (and has) caused severe depression of the central nervous system. In 1996, a two-year-old child who ingested at most 2 to 3 mL of Visine eye drops became dangerously lethargic and unresponsive to every stimulus except deep pain. Thanks to prompt medical attention the child recovered, but not before enduring intubation and two days' worth of mechanically-assisted breathing.

Medical literature reports other cases of small children brought to the brink of crisis by ingestion of tiny amounts of over-the-counter eye drops. The danger is real, and parents are well advised to keep eye drops away from children.

Yet it is not only toddlers who risk central nervous system shutdown or other dire results if they swallow Visine. In 1995 an adult customer at a Whole Foods Market (a retail chain of natural and organic foods) had his wheat-grass smoothie spiked with a bottle of Visine by a clerk intent upon playing a practical joke. The victim, Rudy Trabanino of Houston, became violently ill and had to be hospitalized for several days with acute pain and a variety of serious medical problems. The clerk responsible for the act was dismissed, and Whole Foods Market settled out of court with Trabanino for an undisclosed sum after he brought a $1 million suit against the store.

Visine poisoning has also featured in a murder. In 2001, Damien Kawai, a member of the U.S. Air Force, killed his roommate and fellow airman by strangling the young man, then attempted to conceal the crime by slitting the wrists of the corpse to make the death appear to be suicide. Kawai admitted to earlier spiking the roommate's beer with Visine, under the belief this would render the doomed man unconscious. (It actually caused him to vomit and suffer labored breathing).

In May 2002 19-year-old Damien Kawai was sentenced to life in prison for the 17 November 2001 murder of Charles Eskew.

Revenge seekers still not quite convinced that a Visine mickey finn won't produce the diarrheal results they crave, or that the drinking of such a potion could potentially result in a life-threatening medical crisis in the object of their prank, should consider one final fact: the act of secreting noxious substances in ingestibles for the purpose of bringing harm to others is called poisoning. It matters not if actual harm results from the attempt — the act itself is enough to land one in the hoosegow.

snopes.com
4 posted on 10/10/2003, 1:46:04 PM by twittle
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5 posted on 10/10/2003, 1:46:12 PM by Support Free Republic (Your support keeps Free Republic going strong!)
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To: boris
Okay, kids. Time for a hysteria check here. When I try to poison someone, I'm aiming at death. If I want to give someone explosive diarrhea, I am NOT a poisoner. I'm a vicious prankster and a jerk, but not a poisoner.

Makes this kid sound like a Borgia.
6 posted on 10/10/2003, 1:46:41 PM by Xenalyte (I may not agree with your bumper sticker, but I'll defend to the death your right to stick it)
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To: William Creel
/sarcasm tag

Any drops that can go in the eyes surely wouldn't cause gastric distress, this young man needs to study his base(ic)chemistry. It could be very cathartic. I'm just trying to be neutral here.

/snicker

7 posted on 10/10/2003, 1:52:13 PM by this_ol_patriot
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To: twittle
It amazes me that this product is on the shelf without a prescription! I never knew Visine was so dangerous.
8 posted on 10/10/2003, 1:52:45 PM by TenthAmendmentChampion (Free! Read my historical romance novels online at http://Writing.Com/authors/vdavisson)
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To: twittle
It sure does. I didn't know that. It is nasty just google visine poisoning and you will lots of poison data for it. Very, very nasty. I'm surprised and won't ever buy this stuff again. Saline works fine
9 posted on 10/10/2003, 1:57:49 PM by this_ol_patriot
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To: twittle
"Claim: A few drops of Visine brand eye drops taken internally will cause diarrhea.

"Status: False."

Two words: Croton Oil...

When my father was a medical student in the 1930s it was available over the counter as a 'purgative'. Highly effective. The med students thought it the height of hillarity to slip a drop into someone's drink. Dangerous, though; a little too much and you can kill the victim via dehydration...It isn't easy to find (the actual stuff) these days...

--Boris

10 posted on 10/10/2003, 2:02:30 PM by boris (The deadliest Weapon of Mass Destruction in History is a Leftist With a Word Processor)
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To: twittle
Note to self: NEVER to use Visine! When you put any liquid in your eyes, it drains into your sinuses, down the back of your throat, and into your stomach.
11 posted on 10/10/2003, 2:06:18 PM by GovernmentShrinker
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To: Xenalyte
I think you make a distinction which is uncalled for. If I kick someone, I am a kicker. If I kick them to death, I am a killer. If I cause someone to ingest poison (I'd say visine is poisonous)then I am a poisoner. If they die from it, I am a killer.
12 posted on 10/10/2003, 2:26:31 PM by ClearCase_guy (France delenda est)
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To: Xenalyte; boris
It's hardly poisoning. A few shots of Visine in a drink has been a standard trick of barmen when they are trying to get rid of a troublesome customers.

A friend of mine used to work on cruise ships and the guys at the bar did this regularly when they wanted drunks to run back to their cabins. They were forever working unsocial hours so they actually needed the eye drops to keep themselves fresh but the fact they had a second use was just gravy...

13 posted on 10/10/2003, 2:28:18 PM by jjbrouwer (Chelsea for the Champions League)
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To: Xenalyte
If you poison someone on purpose and they died or suffered serious consequences but you only meant to make them sick, it's ok? You are not a poisoner? Just a jerk?

Cmon, give it some thought. Think about someone doing to your child or mother, then tell me the person is just a jerk, not a poisoner.

14 posted on 10/10/2003, 2:35:20 PM by Protagoras (Putting government in charge of morality is like putting pedophiles in charge of children.)
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To: TenthAmendmentChampion
Drano isn't by prescription and you're not supposed to drink that either.

Nanny state laws that permit us to only purchase child proof scissors and cotton balls are no substitute for brains. I don't want to pay a doctor or beg the government for permission to buy anything more dangerous than a nerf ball.

Child proofing an entire nation does not make for a free people. Please lock up people who harm others and leave the rest of us alone.

15 posted on 10/10/2003, 2:43:49 PM by freeeee (Control freaks unite and pass more laws so we can all be free!!!)
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To: Protagoras
And if I go down the pub and get you blottoed on 15 shots of Jagermeister and you die, is that not poisoning?
16 posted on 10/10/2003, 3:45:35 PM by jjbrouwer (Chelsea for the Champions League)
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To: jjbrouwer
And if I go down the pub and get you blottoed on 15 shots of Jagermeister and you die, is that not poisoning?

How are you going to do that? Hold me down and pour it down my throat?

If so, it would be poisoning. But you better be pretty tough. :^}

17 posted on 10/10/2003, 3:53:37 PM by Protagoras (Putting government in charge of morality is like putting pedophiles in charge of children.)
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To: boris
Ex Lax chocolate , Feenamint gum..
18 posted on 10/10/2003, 4:00:19 PM by sheik yerbouty
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To: Protagoras
I would make sure they were going on your tab.
19 posted on 10/10/2003, 4:09:02 PM by jjbrouwer (Chelsea for the Champions League)
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To: jjbrouwer
I would make sure they were going on your tab.

That would kill me. And that's murder.

20 posted on 10/10/2003, 4:19:05 PM by Protagoras (Putting government in charge of morality is like putting pedophiles in charge of children.)
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