Arsenic
Fast facts:
– Naturally occurring heavy metal
– ‘As’ on the periodic table (atomic no.33)
– Tasteless and odourless
– Untraceable in human body
– Once the method of choice by poisoners
– Marsh Test for detecting arsenic published in 1836
– Famous victims include Napoleon Bonaparte, George III of England and Simon Bolivar
Arsenic is a heavy metal naturally found in the Earth’s crust. It’s a particularly nasty element, because at even very low doses it can poison and kill. Depending on the quantity consumed, death usually occurs within 24 hours to four days (an acute lethal dose is approximately 0.6mg/kg/day – a 23 year old male who ingested 8g of arsenic survived for eight days).
As it is found naturally, it’s a serious hazard (both for food and water). It can seep into groundwater which is particularly risky, particularly if people dig their own private wells/bores without testing the water. Rice products are known for being at risk (that’s why you should wash your rice before cooking). Long-term exposure can result in a variety of cancers amongst other problems.
From: Undark
These days our exposure is lessened as arsenic in common household goods (such as wallpapers, paints and even cosmetics) was phased out in the 1950s.
With a tasteless, odourless and (until the Marsh test) undetectable poison that mimicked the symptoms of a natural illness, it’s no surprise it made murder difficult to prove.
While arsenic is not commonly used in modern times to kill, one of NCIS’ most famous cold cases was murder by arsenic.
Navy Lieutenant Lee Hartley became mysteriously ill while deployed on the USS Forrestal in 1982. He was airlifted to a stateside naval base hospital but he eventually died – an autopsy revealed long term exposure to arsenic.
Investigators couldn’t determine where he was poisoned. He had symptoms and was ill at sea, but then he’d also improved initially in hospital but worsened when discharged.
At first investigators suspected a fellow sailor, as Lt Hartley had been threatened on the ship. “Lieutenant Hartley is a dead man” had been written on a wall of the ship, probably by a sailor Lt Hartley had disciplined.
Because Lt Hartley had been poisoned over a long period of time, this idea was dismissed as it needed to be someone who was close to him. Focus shifted to his roommate on the ship, as he also visited him in hospital and they were both vying for a major promotion.However his friend was eventually cleared as a suspect.
With no other suspects, investigators considered whether the very homesick Lieutenant was self-harming due to mental health issues. However, he was still getting ill when home, so again they had to dismiss this theory.
They next focussed on his wife, however after a lot of investigation and a polygraph which she passed. The case went cold.
In 1995 the case was re-opened. This time investigators realised the polygraph had been incorrectly interpreted, so from the start their investigation focussed on his second wife, Pamela.
This time they uncovered evidence of Pamela being unhappy in the marriage. But they struggled to understand how Lt Hartley fell ill while at sea. Until they discovered Pamela was sending him care packages with cookies.
Pamela Hartley was charged with first degree murder almost 14 years after her husband’s death. She was sentences to 40 years in prison (however, after 15 and a half years she was released).
A famous arsenic case dates back to 1858. The Bradford sweets poisoning contributed to the passing of the Pharmacy Act 1868 in the United Kingdom and other legislation to regulate the adulteration of food.
A sweets maker (peppermint humbugs) regularly substituted “daff” (powdered gypsum) for a portion of the sugar as it was cheaper. One day he sent a man to the druggist to purchase more daff, but the pharmacist was ill and, due to a mix-up, the assistant sold the man arsenic, not daff.
The sweets maker didn’t pick up on the mistake, although he did notice the sweets looked different (he was subsequently sick for days due to his contact with the arsenic). He sold 40lb / 18kg at a discount to a stallholder, who ate one and promptly fell ill, but still sold 5lb / 2.3kg of the sweets from his stall that night.
The Bradford sweets poisoning resulted in the poisoning of over 200 people, with 21 dying as a result.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1858_Bradford_sweets_poisoning#Accidental_poisoning
https://www.thoughtco.com/famous-poisoning-cases-4118225
https://www.murdermiletours.com/blog/deadly-poisons-used-by-murderers-serial-killers-despots
https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/01/inquiring-minds-deborah-blum-poison-forensics/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mysterious-poisoning-death-of-a-navy-lieutenant-leads-to-one-of-ncis-most-notorious-cold-case-investigations/
April 2, 2021 at 1:06 am
Almost all of the mysteries written about death by “Rat Poison” were Arsenic poisonings, even though Warfarin might be more insidious.
Where would mystery writing be without arsenic, it is a historical staple, even though the human body needs a trace amount of it.
April 2, 2021 at 8:03 am
A staple of the mystery writing genre. I think back to the Agatha Christie books and so many used poison…
April 2, 2021 at 1:14 am
Oh, dear, there have been some nasty piison8ngs, haven’t there? I have heard of the poison in wallpaper. It was in green wallpaper, as I recall. I’ve read a murder mystery set in the convict era with a wallpaper poisoning.
April 2, 2021 at 8:04 am
There are some plain nasty people in the world. I know arsenic is found in a lot of murder mystery books, but sadly it’s found in as many real life cases as well. And yes, green wallpaper. It was also in face powder (cosmetics) in the same era – not a great time to be a female!
April 2, 2021 at 3:17 am
Oh my gosh that was a LOT of info! Lol great first post!
April 2, 2021 at 8:05 am
Haha, sorry, GF, they aren’t all this long (but arsenic is such a common ‘murder’ poison I had a lot of story to tell. That’s why I put the fast facts at the top.
April 2, 2021 at 3:29 am
These are truly interesting stories! I am fascinated with the topic of poisons, so will be following your A2Z.
April 2, 2021 at 8:07 am
Glad you thought so, Astrid. Likewise your posts interest me 🙂
April 2, 2021 at 4:57 am
Still a powerful poison, and a great prompt for writers 😉
Great A post!
Quilting Patchwork & Appliqué – A = Abat-jour/Lampshade
April 2, 2021 at 8:11 am
Thanks, Frederique. It’s definitely still a great option for a mystery writer. Even though it can be detected, it has to be thought of as a cause to be tested for.
April 2, 2021 at 5:18 am
This is a great and grisly theme! I look forward to learning about these dastardly killers.
Black and White: A for Atlantis
April 2, 2021 at 8:18 am
Thanks for stopping by, Anne. There are definitely some dastardly killers out there – but there are also some poisons which you’d think would be popular and just don’t seem to be.
April 2, 2021 at 2:46 pm
Wow, imagine poisoning people just because you’re cheap!
I have heard of the matter of arsenic in green wallpaper, even read a murder mystery with it.
April 2, 2021 at 2:51 pm
For some reason, my comments don’t seem to come through. I wonder if WordPress is playing with me today? On another WordPress blog, it wouldn’t let me through till I signed in with my old WordPress account!
April 2, 2021 at 6:27 pm
Interesting – had not realised it was undetectable for so long – would certainly be an advantage! Do you know Dylan Thomas’ “Under Milkwood” in which one of the characters fantasies about the many ways he would like to poison his wife – its on Spotify…
April 4, 2021 at 8:50 pm
I haven’t heard of Under Milkwood but I will check it out. Thanks, Andrew 🙂
April 3, 2021 at 5:04 am
I had no idea it could not be detected. I just knew not to eat the stuff.
Visiting from A to Z
Blogging at Transformed Nonconformist
April 4, 2021 at 8:52 pm
Not eating it is a good choice, lol. Thanks for stopping by, Brett.
April 3, 2021 at 6:00 am
Fascinating poison. I remember the movie Arsenic and Old Lace. I suppose that wasn’t a terrible way to go.
April 4, 2021 at 8:59 pm
I’ve never seen the movie – is it any good?
April 5, 2021 at 2:07 am
What a fascinating theme for the challenge – and a bit scary! I look forward to be learning more about poisons and murder mysteries, old and new!
April 5, 2021 at 9:17 am
They can be a little scary! I thought that with a few of them.
April 5, 2021 at 5:52 pm
How evil – yet clever – to send poisoned cookies! I guess Pamela was not getting remarried after being released from prison 😉
April 6, 2021 at 10:52 am
So much for being the loving wife I am sure he must have been thinking when he received them!
April 6, 2021 at 2:36 am
A fascinating topic/theme for the Blogging Challenge. Look forward to reading the other posts in the series.
Regards,
Mahesh
April 6, 2021 at 10:52 am
Thanks, Mahesh. I’m glad my fascination with the topic interests others.