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The Tylenol Murders: Cyanide Poisoning and Cellular Respiration

Explore the mysterious and interconnected deaths of the Tylenol victims, linked to cyanide poisoning. Investigate the role of cellular respiration and oxygen in this chilling case.

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The Tylenol Murders: Cyanide Poisoning and Cellular Respiration

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  1. Victims Mary Kellerman - child with a cold (12) Adam Janus - postal worker (27) Stanley Janus - brother of Adam (25) Theresa Janus - wife of Stanley (19) Mary McFarland - (31) Paula Prince - flight attendant (35) Mary Reiner - new mother (27) The only thing the victims had in common is that they had all taken extra strength tylenol.

  2. Symptoms exhibited by each of the victims included: • weakness, dizziness, sleepiness • flushed, bright red, skin tone • headache • shortness of breath and rapid breathing • vomiting • confusion and disorientation 1. In your opinion, are the seven deaths connected. What additional information would you need to determine if they are connected? 2. If poison is suspected in the deaths, how would you proceed with the investigation?

  3. Part 2: Autopsy • victims died of hypoxia • massive cell death • mitochondrial damage • bloody oxygen levels at 110 mm Hg

  4. 3. Recall your knowledge of the function of organelles. What function of the cells was interrupted in these patients? 4. While poison is the main suspect in the case, what are other ways a person could die of hypoxia? 5. Analyze the oxygen levels of the victims. Were the levels higher or lower than normal? How can you reconcile this observation with the cause of death being hypoxia?

  5. Toxicology reports show that the victims had been poisoned with cyanide. The poison was traced back to extra strength tylenol where the murderer had opened the capsules and replaced acetaminophen (a pain killer) with cyanide. 6. Recall that the mitochondrion is sometimes called the "powerhouse" of the cell. What does this mean? Why is the mitochondrion important? Changes in the way tylenol (and other drugs are packaged.

  6. Part 3: Why Do We Need Oxygen?

  7. Cyanide inhibits cytochrome C, preventing the last protein from doing its job. The electron stops at the end of the chain and cannot be passed to oxygen. The whole chain grinds to a halt and no ATP can be made. 8. What is the relationship between the ETC and oxygen? 9. Cyanide is an extremely fast acting poison. In fact, it was developed as a suicide pill (called L-pill) during World War II so that British and American spies could avoid being captured alive. Given what you know about ATP and cellular respiration, explain why cyanide is so fast acting.

  8. 10. Given what you know about cyanide poisoning, do you think that giving a person oxygen would be an effective treatment? Why or why not? Could you answer a test question that asks: “Why do we need oxygen?”

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