Harvard: Lab Workers Were Poisoned
12:51 p.m. EDT, October 25, 2009
courant.com
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Harvard University says six researchers who became sick in August apparently were poisoned.
The Boston Herald says a memo released Friday says the group drank from a coffee machine on Aug. 26 that later tested positive for sodium azide, a common preservative used in labs.
The six reported symptoms ranging from dizziness to gar ringing, and one passed out. They were treated at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and later released.
The researchers all work in the Harvard Medical School's pathology department using mice to investigate how diseases interact with the immune system.
Harvard says authorities are investigating the incident, and the school is tightening security in the building, in part by adding surveillance cameras.
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