Alexander Litvinenko - Poisoned Spy Question

[Miss Inquiry]

I have heard numerous reports about this poisoning over the past few days. I am curious as to how the doctors know he was poisioned on the 1st of November. According to all the reports I have read it takes a few weeks for the poison to kick in, so how can they say it must have been on the 1st (or in the sushi bar), especially as they are now saying they may never know exactly what it was that poisioned him. Can anyone explain this. I am sure there is a good explanation, and i'm missing something. Thanks.

[whiffey]

This is becoming very mysterious ! Now they have found 3 radio-opaque objects inside him, about the size of a 2p piece. One seems to have ruptured. How can you swallow 3 objects of this size without being aware of it ? Could you be forced in a busy sushi bar to swallow them ? Maybe they have been designed to cause the most certain, protracted, unpleasant death imaginable.

Poor guy, I hope he makes it, but he has deteriorated overnight.

[Miss Inquiry]

It is all very odd, he has obviously been in hospital for a lot longer than the public have known about it, I wonder why they are only releasing certain information in dribs and drabs. Very James Bond. I hope he manages to pull through. If not he should tell the world all the Russian secrets, cause a huge controversy on your death bed.

[Booldawg]

He was poisoned with Thallium that was allegedly put into his food at the sushi bar.

[NH]

Last I heard he wasn't doing too well...

[dyli795]

The latest I've heared it wasn't Thallium, as which was first suspected, and nothing to do with radiation. Am I right in thinking Kurare is not detectable? ( I imagin the victim rarely agrees with that however :~< Now there's a question for any of the tropical toxin experts amongst us.

[LazyGun]

Not sure why you think curare might be the agent dyli.
Curare is an acetylcholine antagonist, or paralysing agent, and death is usually caused through asphyixiation.

The major symptoms reported for the Russian guy are hair loss, systemic organ failure, and hair loss, with the additional complication of bone marrow failure. The first 3 are indeed very symptomatic of Thallium, the bone marrow failure bit being the odd part.

[dyli795]

Thanx LazyGun, Yes i was thinking today (a bit more awake) and yes Curare just, basicaly, stops muscles working - no heart beat, breathing, and is a sudden effect and one would drop dead there and then- unlike the poor unfortunate chap in the news. Now they're fairly shure he had injested an amount of radioactive material. That's in keeping with the time scale.