Murder by poison. The reasons for murder - love, money and power - have been around for all of time. But the chemicals used by poisoners change. Socrates died from hemlock. The Borgia's used arsenic. Nazi Germany used cyanide. Over the last decade there is a new poison of choice, ethylene glycol.
Ethylene glycol is in car antifreeze. It is the chemical that keeps our radiators from overheating in the summer and turning into ice blocks in the winter. To make it easily visible it is colored bright pink or fluorescent green. It is great for our cars. Unfortunately ethylene glycol is a hazard to our environment, pets and us. Accidental ingestion of antifreeze by small children can be devastating. The ingestion of antifreeze spills by animals leads to countless deaths every year. But it is murder by ethylene glycol that is troubling.
Last week I heard of an elderly gentleman being slowly poisoned with ethylene glycol by a relative. A horrible way to grab the poor man's inheritance. But it has happened before. Here is news story of a man that killed his wife for her life insurance. Here in Wisconsin Mark Jensen was convicted of murdering his wife so that he could continue an affair with another women.
What is common in all three of these cases, and many more, is that death by ethylene glycol is easily discovered. All it takes is a level of suspicion. Then men go to prison for the rest of their lives. In addition ethylene glycol poisoning is easily treated. Two good reasons why murder by ethylene glycol should never happen.
Murder by poison. What will be the substance of choice be for the next decade?
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