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Cited by 7Historical and Scientific StudiesForensic Toxicology and Drug AnalysisPoisoning and overdose treatments

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 42 of the 42 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

A possible chemical explanation for the events associated with the death of Gloria Ramirez at Riverside General Hospital

Grant, Patrick M, Haas, Jeffrey S, Whipple, Richard E, Andresen, Brian D·1997·Forensic Science International
DOI 10.1016/s0379-0738(97)00076-5
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Abstract

The events associated with the death of Gloria Ramirez at Riverside General Hospital on 19 February 1994 have been portrayed as a major medical mystery. A potential chemical explanation for this incident has been developed. The hypothetical scenario depends upon the oxidation of a common solvent, dimethyl sulfoxide, through dimethyl sulfone to dimethyl sulfate. The latter compound is a volatile and highly toxic agent that can be quite hazardous to humans in small amounts. It is also environmentally nonpersistent. Much of the mystery surrounding the circumstances at the hospital may be explainable if this postulated metabolic pathway took place at the time of the emergency room incident. Although dimethyl sulfate was not detected in any analyses pertinent to this event, there are plausible scientific explanations to account for that fact. The sulfate anion, a hydrolysis product of dimethyl sulfate, was measured at an appreciably elevated concentration in Ramirez' blood. The descriptions of the symptoms of the hospital-staff victims appear quite consistent with dimethyl sulfate exposures. This paper attempts to make some sense of the reported data and eyewitness accounts, and perhaps provide new insight for any future research that could further explain this reported occurrence of toxic exposure.

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Crossref · 10.1016/s0379-0738(97)00076-5

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. S. Budavari, (Ed.), The Merck Index, 11th edition, Merck and Co., Rahway, 1989, p. 513.
  2. E. Browning, Toxic Solvents, Edward Arnold, London, 1953, pp. 129–130.
  3. Roeder, 1987, Biological role of activated oxygen species, Biol. Rundsch., 25, 273

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Metadata

Authors
Grant, P. M., Haas, J. S., Whipple, R. E., & Andresen, B. D.
Affiliations
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (US)
Venue
Forensic Science International
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
1997-06
Volume
87
Issue
3
Pages
219-237
ISSN
0379-0738 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/s0379-0738(97)00076-5
OpenAlex
W2113049439
Semantic Scholar
bbd31a42e279660e70b8781aca709f9dad44b6c8
Cited by
7
References
41
Citations by year
2013: 1
FWCI
0.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Forensic Science International (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • U.S. Department of Justice
  • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Historical and Scientific Studies
  • Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Toxicology › Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Emergency Medicine › Poisoning and overdose treatments
Keywords
dimethyl sulfate, dimethyl sulfoxide oxidation, dimethyl sulfone, toxic exposure
MeSH terms
Blood Chemical Analysis, California, Cause of Death, Dimethyl Sulfoxide, Emergency Service, Hospital, Forensic Medicine, Humans, Mutagens, Oxidation-Reduction, Sulfones, Sulfuric Acid Esters

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: A possible chemical explanation for the events associated with the death of Gloria Ramirez at Riverside General Hospital. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1016/s0379-0738(97)00076-5
The paper
Grant, P. M., Haas, J. S., Whipple, R. E., & Andresen, B. D. (1997). A possible chemical explanation for the events associated with the death of Gloria Ramirez at Riverside General Hospital. Forensic Science International. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0379-0738(97)00076-5