Can You Deliver An Undetectable Poison In Reality?

[David H]

In Neighbours someone once sent Paul a letter infused with an invisible poison almost lethal on touch. Is this really possible or just a TV creation?

[Khandro]

Anthrax?

[EDDIE51]

In reality how would the sender be able to post / write / handle the letter with out killing him/her self or killing the postal staff? Any such poison would be so dangerous it would be useless.

[tonyav]

Aconite.
http://www.vincelewis.net/poison.html

[David H]

Anthrax would work but not quickly, and is a bioagent, I am really just thinking of chemicals acting on the nervous or other vital systems through immediate contact. Looks like a few from the link but would they be detectable?

[tandh]

remind me not to open any post from you lol

[Milvus]

If you could successfully deliver an undetectable poison, surely we would never know....

[theprof]

You certainly can. Apart from a range of toxic chemicals that come to mind. there are also radioactive isotopes with specific half-lives that would meet the requirements. Then there are various bacterial and viral agents that would meet the requirements.

As far as posting, writing and handling a toxic agent is concerned, why involve the Royal Mail etc.? If an innocent looking letter dropped on my doormat anytime in a given morning, I'd think it had been delivered by Royal Mail instinctively. Wouldn't we all? I do still sometimes receive mail after the first lot has dropped on the doormat. Posting is therefore not a problem. As far as handling/writing goes, if the malevolent individual is that determined to do his/her worse and has gone to that extent to obtain the necessary stuff, these handling and writing would be hardly rocket science for him or her would it?

[theprof]

David H, there are many instantaneously acting nerve toxins. I can think of a few dozen offhand. Rest assured, almost all of the are undetectable by conventional forensic analysis methods.

[Svejk]

Cripes, I hope Gordie doesn't read this.

[scorpiojo]

:)

[Khandro]

//If you could successfully deliver an undetectable poison, surely we would never know....//
Quite! it's like, how do you know when you've run out of invisible ink? :0)