Romanian Arrested For Attempted Mercury Poisoning Murder

The man’s wife, Elisabeta M., 39, called the authorities after she noticed her cigarette was unusually heavy. The woman said she suspected her soon-to-be ex-husband of slipping something into her cigarettes.

 

Lab tests established the cigarettes contained 5.400 grams of metallic mercury. The minimum lethal dose is of 2.5 grams of mercury vapors.

 

The man told police the mercury came from a broken thermometer.

 

Although mercury is not toxic while ingested and it was even used for medical purposes in the past, mercury vapors are very toxic and can be lethal. Mercury burns at very low temperatures (even room temperature is enough to cause vapors) and a cigarette, which burns at 550-600 Celsius degrees, is more than enough to cause toxic vapors.

 

Elisabeta’s husband was detained for 24 hours and will be brought before the court on Saturday for a ruling on preventive arrest pending trial.