This Day in History: Gloria Ramirez died on this day in 1994 and her case still remains unsolved.
Ramirez was a woman from Riverside, California who was dubbed "the Toxic Lady" or "the Toxic Woman" by the media when several hospital workers became ill after exposure to her body and blood. She had been admitted to the emergency department while suffering from late-stage cervical cancer. While treating Ramirez, several hospital workers fainted and others experienced symptoms such as shortness of breath and muscle spasms. Five workers required hospitalization, one of whom remained in an intensive care unit for two weeks.
"Things took an unusual turn when a nurse carried a routine blood test on the patient. Shortly after drawing the blood, it was reported that a strong ammonia smell started to fill the room. Doctors also noticed that the blood sample took on an unusual appearance as if it contained white crystals." Source
"Little did her attending doctors and nurses know she was a human toxicity bomb. After some basic treatment and blood work, a strange odor emerged from where the syringe had pricked her and hospital staff began getting sick fast. Disease outbreaks, or something like a disease at any rate, spread throughout the hospital, with 23 people experiencing symptoms and some requiring weeks of hospitalization. For months, newspapers were fascinated by the story of a woman who contaminated an entire hospital wing. Today, there is still a lot of speculation about the Gloria Ramirez case. The most widely accepted hypothesis is that a chain chemical reaction occurred in her body because of medication she was taking. This might account for the release of poisonous gas. However, some scientists find this theory too unprovable. While it's likely we'll never know exactly what happened with Gloria Ramirez the case remains fascinating." Source
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