The Death of Georgi Markov and the Attack on Vladimir Kostov (1978)
1. The ricin was delivered to Georgi Markov via an umbrella that had been modified to inject the poison into his leg.
2. The symptoms of ricin poisoning include fever, cough, chest tightness, nausea, and vomiting, followed by severe dehydration, low blood pressure, and eventual organ failure.
3. According to reports, the Bulgarian secret service had injected Markov with a ricin pellet that weighed about 0.2 milligrams.
Tylenol Tampering (1982)
1. Seven people died as a result of the Tylenol tampering.
2. The circumstances surrounding the deaths involved someone who had tampered with Tylenol capsules by lacing them with potassium cyanide. The victims who ingested the tampered capsules experienced symptoms including nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and eventual cardiac arrest.
3. The tampering likely occurred at a retail store or warehouse where the tampered bottles of Tylenol had been stocked. Authorities believe this because the bottles were all from different manufacturing plants, suggesting that the tampering had occurred after the bottles had been shipped to the stores. Additionally, the tampered bottles were all from the same batch, which indicates that the tampering likely occurred at a specific location.
4. The Tylenol tampering case was significant because it led to changes in packaging and tamper-evident seals for over-the-counter medication. This event also led to a shift in corporate responsibility for ensuring consumer safety, and it became a model for crisis management and public relations. Additionally, it prompted the development of the field of product tampering investigations and contributed to the passage of federal anti-tampering laws.