Lisa Powers for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
Seventy-two people have died so far in Mozambique after drinking beer rumored to be poisoned with crocodile bile.
A total of 196 people were initially hospitalized in the Chitima district with diarrhea and muscle pain after attending a funeral. Thirty-five still remain hospitalized, with 5 in critical condition. Among the dead is the woman who made the beer, a traditional ceremonial beverage.
Locals believe it was tainted with crocodile bile, a bitter, greenish-brown secretion of the liver that aids in digestion by breaking down fats. According to folklore, croc bile is both administered at funerals and considered an ancient method for dispatching one’s enemies. This belief is so predominant that African tradition maintains the gallbladder (where bile is stored) must be removed from the crocodile after killing it and buried in front witnesses, so as to ensure the bile isn’t used against someone.
But the question is: Is crocodile bile actually poisonous?
Norman Z. Nyazema, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology at the University of Limpopo in South Africa, proved in the ’80s that crocodile bile is not poisonous. Similarly, South African herpetologist Johan Marais tested parts of the animal for consumption and has not found the bile itself to be poisonous.
So what poisoned these people, then?
According to David Kroll, a science writer for Forbes, there are at least a dozen known toxic plants that grow in the region that contain cardiac glycosides. He goes on to say that cardiac glycosides can, “slow the heartbeat to zero,” and cause symptoms such as, “nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea.”
Another equally plausible theory is pesticide poisoning. Organophosphate pesticides are often used in farming and agriculture in the area, and have been known to cause the same symptoms.
Unfortunately, for now, these are merely speculations. It seems likely this was a case of deliberate poisoning, as those who drank the beer earlier in the day were unaffected, while those who drank the beer later on became very sick, or even died. It is not uncommon for competitors to hire someone to taint another’s brew, but usually this tampering only results in diarrhea and some pain.
Samples of the brew were sent away for testing, but according to local police, the original brew barrel has since gone missing. Currently, investigators have no leads.
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