Not a sonic attack, but a poisoning

Sunday, September 22nd, 2019

The mysterious ailments experienced by Canadian and U.S. diplomats and their families in Cuba may not have come from sonic attacks, but from poison — or, rather, pesticide:

A number of Canadians and Americans living in Havana fell victim to an unexplained illness starting in late 2016, complaining of concussion-like symptoms, including headaches, dizziness, nausea and difficulty concentrating. Some described hearing a buzzing or high-pitched sounds before falling sick.

[...]

The symptoms experienced by the diplomats and their families, rather, are consistent with low-dose exposure, leading researchers to examine the effects of cholinesterase (ChE) blockers in commercial products.

ChE is one of the key enzymes required for the proper functioning of the nervous system. Certain classes of pesticides work by inhibiting ChE.

Cuba, like other tropical countries, regularly sprays pesticides to kill insects that carry infectious diseases.

The researchers found that since 2016, Cuba launched an aggressive campaign against mosquitoes to stop the spread of the Zika virus.

The embassies actively sprayed in offices, as well as inside and outside diplomatic residences — sometimes five times more frequently than usual. Many times, spraying operations were carried out every two weeks, according to embassy records.

Toxicological analysis of the Canadian victims confirmed the presence of pyrethroid and organophosphate — two compounds found in fumigation products.

There was also a correlation between the individuals most affected by the symptoms and the number of fumigations that were performed at their residence.

(Hat tip to our Slovenian Guest.)

Comments

  1. Candide III says:

    (facepalm)

  2. Lu An Li says:

    Of course prior to the opening of the USA embassy other delegations were spraying presumably and yet none of their diplomatic personnel ever experienced the same malady?

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