Remember the time when someone was poisoning Tylenol?

I dont know how many people were affected or if the suspect was ever found. (I dont think they were) I know there were copycats (acid put in eye drops,etc)...

One permanent change it did make was with the packaging of medication....Prior to the incident,pill and other over the counter medications didnt have seal proof packaging (plastic around the lid.)

I just dont understand how someone could be that angry to hurt people they dont even know!!

I remember.  That was pretty brutal.  I don't think "cyanide" was in people's everyday vocubulary until that episode.

Something eerie - listening to the popular 1982 Clash album, Combat Rock, one of the lyrics to the song "Atom Tan" makes a reference to "cyanide suicide".  :o  Hmmm, that's sometimes made me wonder if there was a connection.  Unfortunately, I'm not sure which came first - the news of the first cyanide poisonings, or the album...  ???

I remember that a little bit. I recall my mother throwing away bottles of Tylenol and even seeing something on TV about it.

I remember, it happened in Chicago (and where I live) and I was sick at the time and taking Tylenol. Needless to say I was a bit nervous. I do believe they caught him, I remember he had a beard and glasses but forgot his name.

Something eerie - listening to the popular 1982 Clash album, Combat Rock, one of the lyrics to the song "Atom Tan" makes a reference to "cyanide suicide".   :o  Hmmm, that's sometimes made me wonder if there was a connection.  Unfortunately, I'm not sure which came first - the news of the first cyanide poisonings, or the album...   ???



Apart from The Clash are a British band and Tylenol is not available in Britain.

Remember the time when someone was poisoning Tylenol?

I dont know how many people were affected or if the suspect was ever found. (I dont think they were) I know there were copycats (acid put in eye drops,etc)...

One permanent change it did make was with the packaging of medication....Prior to the incident,pill and other over the counter medications didnt have seal proof packaging (plastic around the lid.)

I just dont understand how someone could be that angry to hurt people they dont even know!!


There was a similar incident like that in 1986 where a woman poisoned her husband to death using headache medicine (can't remember which brand maybe Excedrin) and she put it in other bottles at the supermarket where she shopped and a 40 year old mother named Sue Snow bought one of the bottles and also died.  >:(

There was a similar incident like that in 1986 where a woman poisoned her husband to death using headache medicine (can't remember which brand maybe Excedrin) and she put it in other bottles at the supermarket where she shopped and a 40 year old mother named Sue Snow bought one of the bottles and also died.  >:(
I read that story in a magazine, sad, but it was Snow's death that got the devil-woman caught. Last I heard she was unfortunately still alive, but serving 90 years!

Your Pal,
Doc
8)

Remember the time when someone was poisoning Tylenol?

I dont know how many people were affected or if the suspect was ever found. (I dont think they were) I know there were copycats (acid put in eye drops,etc)...

One permanent change it did make was with the packaging of medication....Prior to the incident,pill and other over the counter medications didnt have seal proof packaging (plastic around the lid.)

I just dont understand how someone could be that angry to hurt people they dont even know!!


I remember that, it really freaked people out.

Aside from the newer tamper-proof packaging, if I remember right, the Tylenol that was poisoned was in capsule form, and the drug companies quit selling capsule-type pills over the counter.

I can't remember whether or not they ever caught the individual, but I believe something like 9 people died.

That was the start of all containers having a tamper-proof seals!
so at least 1 good thing came of it!
Cyanide Poisoning isn't a very pleasant way to go as it causes violent mussel contractions/convulsions.I always wondered how one could even get a hold of such substances!You wouldn't think that would be available in the local pharmacy.The 2 types of it are Potassium & Sodium Cyanide....Potassium & Sodium is commonly used in electro plating/mining ....Sodium is used in "The Gas Chambers"
Who knows back then if they were even able to search where someone could have got a hold of it as it was available in most plating operations.I worked at a plating shop where a 25 gallon drum disappeared in 1984.
The company downplayed any miss doings over it!Chlorine Gas kills off Cyanide so water systems are protected!
The world wasn't so threatening back then.

I remember it well. That's when caplets were invented to take the place of capsules.

There was one sick thing I saw relating to this incident was. On Halloween that year (I think it was 1982) someone was dressed up like a Extra Strength Tylenol capsule. The costume was clever but in bad taste.

It was strange how they didnt find anyone.....