Crimes Involving Poisons

Although biological warfare is most often discussed in terms of weapons of mass destruction, usually in the context of war, terrorist use of biological agents cannot be excluded. Biological warfare agents are, for the most part, inexpensive and readily obtainable, and cookbook approaches are readily available. One such book is Silent Death, by an author who calls himself Uncle Fester.43 Other titles from the same publisher include The Poisoner s Handbook and Crimes Involving Poisons. 

The "arsenic poison" referred to in true-crime dramas is actually the oxide of arsenic, As203, rather than the element itself. Less than 0.1 g of this white, slightly soluble powder can be fatal. The classic symptoms of acute arsenic poisoning involve various unpleasant gastroin-... 

The use of activation analysis in criminal investigations (forensic activation analysis) is also well established. The basic idea here is to match the trace-element distributions found in bullets, paint, oil, and so on found at the scene of a crime with the trace-element distributions in objects found with criminal suspects. Such identification is rapid and nondestructive (allowing the actual evidence to be presented in court). Moreover, the probability of its correctness can be ascertained quantitatively. Other prominent examples of the use of forensic activation analysis involve confirmation of the notion that Napoleon was poisoned (by finding significant amounts of arsenic in hair from his head) and the finding that the activation analysis of the wipe samples taken from a suspect s hand can reveal not only if he or she has fired a gun recently but also the type of gun and ammunition used. 

The forensic scientist employed in the analysis of specimens for metal concentrations is involved generally in two main areas of investigation. The first is in the determination of toxic metals in biological tissue in order to ascertain the cause of death or injury (homicidal or suicidal) in suspected poisoning cases. The second is to compare certain characteristic trace element concentrations in materials found at the scene of the crime with the same type of material found in the possession of the accused. A special case of this second approach is in the analysis of the elements barium,... 

After 1945, it was not unusual for chemists to cast a veil of silence over their involvement in the crimes of the Nazi regime. Deichmann ([19], p. 414) brought up this painful subject In contrast to prominent German physicists, who professed after the war that they had not been in favour of the production of the atomic bomb for moral reasons, neither Staudinger nor other chemists claimed that they were unable to synthesise an artificial fibre, an explosive, a poison gas or an antidote because they had not wanted to for moral reasons. They were honest about this. However, Staudinger (and all his fellow chemists) failed to comment on the enormous crimes that were committed with the involvement of chemists. [...] The killing of mentally disturbed Germans by carbon monoxide and of European Jews by Zyklon B (is, editor s note) not mentiOTied. ... 

It is common to find a variety of ethical and illicit drugs or unusual poisons. Worldwide experience also shows that forensic cases often involve more than one drug substance. High rates of multiple drug use are found in deaths from misuse of drugs and also in perpetrators of violent crimes. 

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