Selling poison by the bottle: Availability of dangerous substances found on eBay®

Blok, Derek; Ambrose, Lisa; Ouellette, Lindsey; Seif, Emily; Riley, Brad; Judge, Bryan S.; Ziegler, Aaron; Jones, J. Stephen

doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2019.09.024

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…While the use of mercury is banned in some countries outside of the United States, the element can be easily obtained illegally through Internet purveyors [ 13 ]. An analysis of an Internet-based auction website found that toxic products, including mercury, were available for purchase from private retailers, often in packaging that was not child-resistant [ 14 ]. The easy availability of elemental mercury from online sources is concerning, as individuals who purchase mercury online may be unfamiliar with the recommended precautions for safe use and cleanup of this product.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effective Decontamination and Remediation After Elemental Mercury Exposure: A Case Report in the United States

Johnson‐Arbor

Schultz

2021

J Prev Med Public Health

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Elemental mercury exposure can result in significant toxicity. Source decontamination and remediation are often required after larger elemental mercury exposures, but the details of these processes are infrequently reported. In the case described herein, a 64-year-old woman and her husband were exposed to elemental mercury in their home after the husband purchased it online for the purpose of recreational barometer calibration. After the mercury reportedly spilled during the calibration process, a vacuum cleaner was used to decontaminate the affected surface; this led to extensive mercury contamination of the home. The couple was relocated from the home while remediation occurred over the course of several weeks. Vacuum cleaning of an elemental mercury spill can lead to extensive volatilization and recirculation of mercury vapor. For smaller mercury spills, careful removal of visible mercury beads by using an eyedropper, cardboard, and masking tape is recommended. Larger spills require professional decontamination and remediation and may necessitate involvement of governmental resources. Vacuum cleaning should not be used as an initial method of decontamination after elemental mercury exposure. Careful attention to source decontamination can reduce the emotional and financial costs associated with extensive remediation after elemental mercury exposure.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effective Decontamination and Remediation After Elemental Mercury Exposure: A Case Report in the United States

Johnson‐Arbor

Schultz

2021

J Prev Med Public Health

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“…We included popular online marketplaces due to their potential for opioid-related transactions. (26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)…”

Section: Identifying Social Media Platformsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Which Social Media Platforms Provide the Most Informative Data for Monitoring the Opioid Crisis?

Carpenter,

Nguyen,

Smith

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background and AimsSocial media can provide real-time insight into trends in substance use, addiction, and recovery. Prior studies have leveraged data from platforms such as Reddit and X (formerly Twitter), but evolving policies around data access have threatened their usability in opioid overdose surveillance systems. Here, we evaluate the potential of a broad set of platforms to detect emerging trends in the opioid crisis.DesignWe identified 72 online platforms with a substantial global user base or prior citations in opioid-related research. We evaluated each platform’s fit with our definition of social media, size of North American user base, and volume of opioid-related discourse. We created a shortlist of 11 platforms that met our criteria. We documented basic characteristics, volume and nature of opioid discussion, official policies regulating drug-related discussion, and data accessibility of shortlisted platforms.SettingUSA and Canada.MeasurementsWe quantified the volume of opioid discussion by number of platform-specific Google search hits for opioid terms. We captured informal language by including slang generated using a large language model. We report the number of opioid-related hits and proportion of opioid-related hits to hits for common nouns.FindingsWe found that TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook have the most potential for use in opioid-related surveillance. TikTok and Facebook have the highest relative amount of drug-related discussions. Language on TikTok was predominantly informal. Many platforms offer data access tools for research, but changing company policies and user norms create instability. The demographics of users varies substantially across platforms.ConclusionsSocial media data sources hold promise for detecting trends in opioid use, but researchers must consider the utility, accessibility, and stability of data on each platform. A strategy mixing several platforms may be required to cover all demographics suffering in the epidemic.

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Nature’s Toxic Gift

2023

Poisonous Tales

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In an intriguing and clever murder in The Liqueur Glass by Phyllis Bottome (1915), a wife poisons her husband with a chemical from a photography dark-room, adding it to his glass of sloe gin. The poison isn’t named, but of all the compounds used in developing black & white prints, cyanide is the most likely culprit. Mr Watkins dies within minutes because cyanide attacks his red blood cells, blocking a key enzyme from doing its life-giving job. Even though he is breathing, his cells can no longer use the oxygen and begin to die. His death is investigated, and various non-toxicological clues suggest to the doctor that poison was the culprit. We will look at the trail of hints cyanide leaves on its victims, and explore the natural and synthetic sources of the poison. Although cyanide will be forever associated with spies taking their secrets to the grave, we will examine the most common cause of cyanide poisoning forensic toxicologists encounter – toxic fumes in fires.

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Selling poison by the bottle: Availability of dangerous substances found on eBay®

Cited by 3 publications

References 6 publications

Effective Decontamination and Remediation After Elemental Mercury Exposure: A Case Report in the United States

Effective Decontamination and Remediation After Elemental Mercury Exposure: A Case Report in the United States

Which Social Media Platforms Provide the Most Informative Data for Monitoring the Opioid Crisis?

Nature’s Toxic Gift

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