In October, a whole family was poisoned in Söderhamn. The girl in the family died and her mother and younger brother were hospitalized in intensive care for two weeks.
Until now, it has been a mystery what poisoned the family.
On Tuesday, prosecutor Christer Sammens confirms that it was the extremely toxic substance phosphine that caused the serious poisoning.
It’s phosphine
Phosphine has been used, among other things, as a pesticide and may not be sold to private individuals in Sweden.
– It is an organic phosphorus compound that is very, very toxic. Both by inhalation, ingestion and skin contact, explains chemist Johanna Thompson.
– The phosphine itself is a gas. Most often you get it through inhalation and it is highly likely that they have inhaled it, she continues.
The gas is usually used to kill insects and rats – but it is also very toxic to larger animals and people.
– It is very dangerous. Organophosphorus compounds have been found in some of the most lethal nerve gases we have seen in warfare. Saringas, Novitjok, these are known horrors. It is a very toxic compound, says Johanna Thompson.
Saring gas was developed by the Nazis in 1930s Germany. The gas was also used in 1995 by a sect in the Tokyo subway, when thirteen people were killed. Novichok is a nerve gas developed in the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s, which has been used in several KGB-linked poison murders.
This is how the body is affected
When a person is exposed to the toxins, it affects the functioning of the entire body.
– The muscle functions in the body are stopped, for example the heart, lungs, stomach and intestines. You get a lack of oxygen and the body’s vital functions stop working. The heart stops working, says Johanna Thompson.
At the moment, it is unclear how the family came into contact with the subject.
– Such toxic preparations are not something you as a private person go and buy in the trade. I suspect and assume that there is a huge investigation going on now, says the chemist.
The poisoning in Söderhamn
An entire family was poisoned and a girl died in Söderhamn. After a month, it is still a mystery what or who poisoned the family.