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Chronology of Chemical & Biological Incidents Targeting the Food Industry 1946-2006

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This chronology includes confirmed acts of deliberate contamination of products manufactured by the food industry with a chemical or biological agent. We define food industry as that which is comprised of entities that produce, package, and/or distribute foodstuffs and beverages, as well as the related food service industry. Events that are included in this chronology are those that have more than 30 casualties, greater than 2 fatalities, and/or more than $100 million in lost revenue. Attacks targeting unharvested crops are not included.

April 1946 / Nuremburg, Germany
A group named Nakam contaminated bread produced by a bakery supplying an internment camp; approximately 1,000 prisoners died as a result. Nakam members, comprised of European Jews, sought retribution for possible war crimes by the prisoners, most of whom were former Nazi SS. According to some of Nakam's former members, on Saturday April 13, 1946 several members of the group infiltrated a Nuremburg bakery known to supply the camp. Utilizing a viscous solution containing arsenic, the infiltrators basted 'more than 2,000 loaves,' before hiding the arsenic and fleeing from approaching security forces. The group had planned to poison all of the approximately 14,000 loaves destined to be delivered to the camp. Estimates of the number of persons affected by the poison varies from ~4,000 to ~12,000.[1]

September 1984 / The Dalles, Oregon
Members of the Rajneeshee cult based in The Dalles contaminated salad bars in ten different restaurants and one supermarket with the foodborne pathogen S. typhimurium, which resulted in at least 751 cases of salmonellosis. The cult was attempting to determine its ability to influence elections by causing citizens to abstain from voting due to illness. However, the attack planners were unimpressed with the results and therefore canceled a more substantial attack that was scheduled for the first Tuesday in November. The goal of this undertaking was to gain control of several prominent posts in the Wasco county government, which, had previously ruled against the Rajneeshees in several real estate zoning disputes. Public health workers initially classified the outbreak as having had a natural etiology, but approximately one year after its occurrence, Rashneeshees' leadership publicized that its members had contaminated the salad bars. Several cult members were eventually arrested, convicted, and given jail terms.[2]

March 1989 / Philadelphia, PA, USA
The U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Chile received a phone call claiming that grapes exported to the United States and Japan were tainted with cyanide. More than 40 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agents were dispatched to the Tioga Fruit Terminal, a major inlet for fruits from Chile, where they examined thousands of crates. In the end, they were able to detect two grapes contaminated with a small quantity of cyanide that posed no threat to human health. A subsequent study found that cyanide degrades rapidly in grapes due to their high acidity. Following the discovery of the contaminated grapes, the U.S., Japan, Germany, Canada, and Denmark either halted and/or greatly expanded inspections of Chilean fruit imports for an extended period. Chile claimed the restrictions resulted in losses of $300 million, while U.S. importers reported related losses in excess of $100 million.[3]

December 31, 1994 / Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Sparkling wine sold at a kiosk near a Russian military installation was deliberately contaminated with cyanide. After having been consumed at a New Year's celebration, 25 persons, including 13 Russian soldiers, became ill. In the final tally, 10 of the victims died, including 6 soldiers. In view of the kiosk's location, investigators hypothesized that the perpetrator(s) had targeted Russian servicemen for attack, but this has not been proven since no one was charged with the crime.[4]

June-November 1995 / Guangdong, China
Du Runqiong and her son Tang Youhua were arrested for using rodenticide to poison persons and animals that inhabited Jinli village and its surroundings. According to Guangdong Public Security Bureau Deputy Director Zhu Mingjian, Du and Tang used 80 store-bought bottles of rodenticide to poison at least 163 people (of whom 18 died) and almost 4,000 animals. Investigators claim that a fortune stick inspired the pair. However, according to Agence France Presse, '[t]he deaths had previously been blamed on pollution caused by a local metals firm.' The firm in question was a gold refinery that utilized hydrogen cyanide on a large scale in the processing of gold. Further, South China Sun reported that this refinery was owned and managed by the Guangdong police.[5]

July 1998 / Wakayama, Japan
Masumi Hayashi added arsenic and some cyanide to a large pot of curry prepared for the winter festival in the Sonobe district of Wakayama, Japan. According to police, Hayashi was able to sabotage the curry during the cooks' lunch break. Of the 68 festival-goers who fell ill after consuming the curry, 4 died. Masumi's husband Kenji Hayashi worked as a termite exterminator until 1992 and thus she had ready access to the approximately 100 grams of arsenic added to the curry. The Osaka High Court upheld the death sentence for Masumi Hayashi handed down by the circuit court, but her sentence was appealed to Japan's Supreme Court in 2007.[6]

May 30, 2000 / Quebec City, Canada
After an unknown perpetrator had added arsenic to a coffee vending machine located at the Lavalis University Animal and Food Sciences department, approximately 30 people presented with symptoms of arsenic poisoning and, of these, four were hospitalized due to treatment related complications. Several of the victims complained of symptoms lasting several weeks, including blurred vision and reduced sensitivity in their extremities. Police found no signs of tampering, but did find salt-like grains of arsenic in the machine's water reservoir. Reports note that 'tests have shown there were 150 millilitres of arsenic' inside the reservoir, which led investigators to surmise the poisoning was not accidental, although the quantity used was unlikely to result in deaths. That the investigators had observed "grains" implies that the arsenic used for sabotage was in its elementary form, which is mostly insoluble in water. However, uncertainties surround this event since the quantity of arsenic and its form remain unclear due to the media having provided confusing information about weight and volumetric measures.[7]

September 14, 2002 / Tangshan, Jiangsu Province China
Chen Zhengping used rodenticide to contaminate a competitor's food products, thus killing between 42 and 100 persons (estimates vary depending on sources). According to Chinese Police, Chen contaminated both a well used exclusively by the Zhengwu Pastry Bar and batches of dough that he knew would be utilized for creating pastries. According to reportsgathered by New York Times, Chen sought only to cause illness, but fled in panic upon witnessing the violent deaths of several patrons. Authorities apprehended Chen in Zangzhou, which is ~370 miles north of Tangshan. The Higher People's Court of Jiangsu Province sentenced Chen Zhengping to death; the sentence was carried out on October 14, 2002.[8]

January 2003 / Michigan, USA
Randy J. Bertram, a disgruntled employee at Byron Center Family Fare Supermarket, intentionally contaminated approximately 200 pounds of ground beef with an insecticide called "Black Leaf 40," whose active ingredient is nicotine. Initially, 18 members of several families in the local community presented with symptoms of nicotine poisoning, but eventually almost 100 persons became ill. A collaborative investigation by the FBI and USDA led to Bertram being identified as the perpetrator, which resulted in him being indicted on charges of intentional poisoning.[9]

September 2003 / Yueyang, China
More than 200 students and staff members became ill after eating a breakfast laced with rodenticide. Although local reports vary widely on the number of casualties, none mentions fatalities. This event, along with a series of smaller, similar incidents, resulted in a tightening of restrictions by the Supreme People's Court, which increased punishment for the possession of tetramethylenedisulfotetramine (a potent form of tetramine) in excess of 50 grams to a minimum of ten years imprisonment. Tetramine serves as the active ingredient of many older rodenticide formulations in China. The tetramine-based rodenticide formulations are commonly distributed throughout China as 'Dushuqiang' or strong rat poison. Tetramine is perhaps the most lethal of the chemicals widely used in pesticidals.[10]

2003-2005 / Italy
In a series of incidents that involved 11 regions of Italy, a perpetrator deemed the 'aqua-bomber' injected bleach, acetone, or ammonia into various commercial drink containers. Police believed that the initial series of incidents was caused by one individual, but that later incidents were perpetrated by 'copycats.' In many cases, bottles inside of vending machines were injected just below the cap with the contaminant. This easily accomplished method, along with the wide area that was affected by these incidents, led many to believe in the 'copycat' theory. The incidents occurred in two waves, with the first spanning November to December 2003, and the second, smaller wave occurring in September 2005. In the final tally, the attacks claimed 33 casualties and resulted in significant economic losses for the Italian bottled water industry.[11]

October 2006 / Numaniyah, Iraq
At least 350 police became ill following a mass poisoning at a cafeteria located outside of Baghdad. While reports vary on the number of fatalities that resulted, an inspector from the Iraqi Environment Ministry reported 11 deaths. The major symptom presented by victims was bleeding from the ears and nose following the meal. Investigators at the scene suspected cyanide as the causative agent. Initial suspicions targeted Sunni insurgents as the perpetrators, due mainly to the stricken officers being mostly Shi'i and their area of responsibility was a section of Baghdad known for attacks by Sunni insurgents.[12]

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1. Michael Bar-Zohar, trans. Len Ortzen, The Avengers (London: Arthur Barker, 1968): 43-58; Richard A. Falkenrath, et. al., America's Achilles' Heel: Nuclear, biological and chemical terrorism and covert attack (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1998): 33-34; Ali S. Khan, et. al., "Precautions against biological and chemical directed at food and water supplies," Public Health Reports 116 (2001): 3-14.

2. W. Seth Carus, "The Rajneeshees," ch. 8 in Toxic Terror: Assessing Terrorist Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons, ed. Jonathan B. Tucker. (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2000): 115-138; W. Seth Carus, Bioterrorism and Biocrimes (Washington D.C., Center for Counter Proliferation Research, 2001): 50-58; Zygmunt F. Dembek, et. al., "Epidemiology of biowarfare and bioterrorism," ch. 3 in Medical Aspects of Biological Warfare, ed. Martha K. Lenhart, et. al., eds. (Washington D.C.: Borden Institute, 2007): 39-68.

3. Bill Grigg, "The cyanide scare; a tale of two grapes," U.S. Government Printing Office (1989) web available at: (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1370/is_n6_v23/ai_7755859/print ); Philip J. Hilts, "Don't eat grapes, FDA warns; cyanide traces found in fruit from Chile after phone threat," Washington Post (March 14, 1989): A1; "Ban on Chile Fruit exports spreads to Asia and Europe; Santiago blames red terrorists," Los Angeles Times (March 14, 1989): A1; David Lauter, "Cyanide traces lead U.S. to seize all Chilean fruit," Los Angeles Times (March 14, 1989): A1; Susan Bennett, "Critics question inspectors' luck in Chilean grape scare; odds were against quick discovery of tainted fruit," Orange County Register (July 23, 1989): A14.

4. "Champagne kills 10 in Tadzhikistan," United Press International (January 2, 1995; "Six Russian servicemen die after drinking Champagne in Tajikistan," Associated Press (January 2, 1995); Jonathan Rugman, "Tajik struggle is lethal brew for Moscow," Guardian (February 11, 1995): 12.

5. No Kwai-Yan, "Villager arrested over mass poisoning," South China Morning Post (December 15, 1995): 12; "China executes mother-son poison team," United Press International (January 10, 1996); "Chinese police nab mass poisoner," United Press International (December 15, 1995); "Guangdong court sentences mother, son to death," British Broadcasting Company (January 16, 1996): summary of Asia-Pacific news; "Mother, son admit S. China poisoning," United Press International (December 23, 1995); "Mother and son confess poisoning," South China Morning Post (December 23, 1995): 6; "Mother who poisons 18 sentenced to death," United Press International (December 28, 1995); "Two suspects held for poisoning case in southern China," Agence France Presse (December 15, 1995); K. Scott Whitlow, et. al., "Tetramethylenedisulfotetramine: old agent new terror," Annals of Emergency Medicine 45, no. 6 (June 2005): 609-613; F Barrueto, et. al., "Poisoning by an illegally imported Chinese rodenticide containing tetramethylenedisulfotetramine: New York City, 2002," MMWR Morbitity & Mortality Weekly 52, No. 10 (March 14, 2003): available online at (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5210a4.htm); Chemical Case 231, Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism Database, Monterey Terrorism Research & Education Project (http://cns.miis.edu/db/wmdt/incidents/231.htm).

6.  "Hayashi's death sentence upheld in arsenic case," Asahi Shimbun (June 29, 2005); "3 curry pots contained enough arsenic to kill 500 people," Japan Economic Newswire (August 12, 1998); "Pure poison used in curry," Asahi Shimbun (August 10, 1998); "Hayashi court battle ends, ruling hinges on lack of concrete evidence in poisoning case," Yomiuri Shimbun (December 11, 2002): 3; "Time of arsenic-lacing pinpointed," Mainichi Daily (December 31, 1998); "Hayashi tells of actions at festival," Yomiuri Shimbun (June 19, 2004): 2; "Kenji Hayashi tells court: 'my wife is innocent,'" Yomiuri Shimbun (June 7, 2001): 2; Chemical Case 2109, Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism Database, Monterey Terrorism Research & Education Project (http://cns.miis.edu/db/wmdt/incidents/2109.htm).

7.  "Poison cure puts four in hospital," Gazette (June 28, 2000): A4; "Concern lingers among victims of arsenic laced coffee at Quebec university," Canadian Press Newswire (June 7, 2000); Sandra Porteous, "Stressed workers dangerous: recent workplace poisonings prove anything is possible," Halifax Daily News (June 6, 2000): 2; "Coffee from vending machine poisons Quebec City students," Associated Press (June 2, 2000); "Arsenic (As) and water," Lenntech Water treatment & air purification  (http://www.lenntech.com/elements-and-water/arsenic-and-water.htm); N. Lihareva, "Arsenic solubility, mobility and speciation in the deposits from a copper production waste storage," Microchemical Journal 81, no. 2 (October 2005): 177-183; Chemical Case 894, Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism Database, Monterey Terrorism Research & Education Project (http://cns.miis.edu/db/wmdt/incidents/894.htm).

8. "Chinese man to be executed for food-poisoning deaths," Japan Economic Newswire (September 30, 2002); Stephanie Hoo, "Chinese courts hand down sentences for trading in super-deadly rat poison," Associated Press (April 28, 2004); "Murderers often use rat poison to kill foes," Leader Post (November 15, 2003): D13; "Chinese man put to death after killing 42 with rat poison," Agence France Presse (October 14, 2002); Erik Eckholm, "Man admits poisoning food in rival's shop, killing 38 in China," New York Times (September 18, 2002): 5; "China executes snack shop owner who poisoned dozens," Channel News Asia (October 14, 2002); "China executes mass poisoning culprit," Xinhua (October 14, 2002).

9. M. Boulton, et. al., "Nicotine poisoning after ingestion of contaminated ground beef," CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 52, No. 18 (May 9, 2003): pp. 413-416; Press release, Department of Justice Western District of Michigan (May 21, 2003); 'Ex-grocery worker admits to poisoning beef,' Associated Press (May 21, 2003); James Pritchard, 'Ex-grocery worker sentenced to nine years for poisoning beef,' Associated Press (September 19, 2003).

10. "61 students felled by rat poison in central China," Xinhua (September 29, 2003); "Crime suspected as 222 Chinese children hospitalized with food poisoning," Agence France Presse (September 27, 2003); "China threatens death sentence for rat poison makers to stop mass poisonings," Agence France Presse (October 2, 2003): International news; "School poisoning case under investigation," China Daily (September 27, 2003); "China: powerful rat poison destroyed in Liaoning," British Broadcasting Corporation (September 27, 2003); F. Barrueto Jr., "Poisoning by an illegally imported Chinese rodenticide containing tetramethylenedisulfotetramine: New York City, 2002," Morbidity and Mortality Report Weekly 52, No. 10 (March 14, 2003): available online at (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5210a4.htm); Chemical Case 1679, Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism Database, Monterey Terrorism Research & Education Project (http://cns.miis.edu/db/wmdt/incidents/1679.htm) .

11. Barbara McMahon, "Drinks saboteur returns," Guardian (September 9, 2005): 17; "Panic worsens in Italy as water poisoner strikes again," Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (December 9, 2003); "Toddler victim of bleach poisoning for second time," Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (September 12, 2005); Chemical Case 1706, Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism Database, Monterey Terrorism Research & Education Project (http://cns.miis.edu/db/wmdt/incidents/1706.htm).

12. Qassim Abdul-Zahra, "Arrest made in Iraq food poisoning case," Associated Press (October 9, 2006); Qassim Abdul-Zahra, "Hundreds of Iraq police sick from poison," Associated Press (October 9, 2006); Mark Dunn, "Fighters fall in poison food scare, Herald Sun (October 10, 2006): 10; "Poison suspected as illness spreads; at least 10 Iraqi troops died and 1,200 were sickened," Grand Rapids Press (October 10, 2006): A3; "Vice-President's brother killed; poison case probed," China Daily (October 10, 2006).

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