German students turn blue.

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Boustrophedon
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German students turn blue.

Post by Boustrophedon » Tue Aug 24, 2021 8:10 pm

Apparently there has been an incidence of poisoning at Darmstadt Technical University, with students feeling nauseous and with their extremities turning blue. The poison seems to have been added to bottles of free water or milk at the residences and was discovered because of an acrid smell.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/ ... -turn-blue

Now what smells acrid and turns your extremities blue?
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WFJ
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Re: German students turn blue.

Post by WFJ » Tue Aug 24, 2021 8:37 pm

Some sort of silver solution? Maybe some colloidal silver quack thought they were doing the students a favour by dosing them.

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jdc
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Re: German students turn blue.

Post by jdc » Tue Aug 24, 2021 8:57 pm

Is it cyanide?

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Bird on a Fire
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Re: German students turn blue.

Post by Bird on a Fire » Tue Aug 24, 2021 9:06 pm

Could be nitrate/nitrite poisoning too. That'll make you go blue and smell nasty.
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Bird on a Fire
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Re: German students turn blue.

Post by Bird on a Fire » Tue Aug 24, 2021 9:07 pm

jdc wrote:
Tue Aug 24, 2021 8:57 pm
Is it cyanide?
I don't want to alarm you, but your username seems to be turning blue. Have you been drinking milk with German students again?
We have the right to a clean, healthy, sustainable environment.

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Boustrophedon
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Re: German students turn blue.

Post by Boustrophedon » Wed Oct 06, 2021 4:03 pm

Turns out it was 1,4-Butanediol, bromophenols anddicyclohexylamine. (Scroll to bottom of article.)

None of which explains the blue colour.

More here: https://www.stern.de/panorama/stern-cri ... 87682.html
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Bird on a Fire
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Re: German students turn blue.

Post by Bird on a Fire » Wed Oct 06, 2021 4:20 pm

Weird and interesting.

I'd guess in Germany it's sold as a (questionably) "legal high" for parties, as it's a GHB precursor. Which might broaden opportunities for access beyond chemistry departments a little.

Doesn't sound like a rave gone wrong, though - reports make it sound like deliberate poisoning.

Though I also wonder if it would work as a "date rape" (there may be a better term?) drug, given the effects.
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