Tetramine poisoning in China: changes over a decade viewed through the media’s eye

Abstract

BackgroundTetramine, or tetramethylenedisulfotetramine, is an internationally banned compound that had been used primarily as a rodenticide. Despite its regulatory status, there are widespread reports of its intentional use in human poisonings, primarily in China, and often in mass poisonings. Enhanced governmental regulations were implemented in 2003 to further reduce the availability of tetramine, though the effects of these regulations, and the current use of tetramine, remains unknown.MethodsReports from the website of the China News Agency were collected from 2000 to 2012. Details such as the location, date, and intent of the events were compared before and after the regulations were implemented.ResultsThere were a total of 148 events during the study period (95 from 2000 to 2003, and 53 after 2003). There were a total of 3526 victims, including 225 fatalities. The majority of the events were homicidal/terroristic in nature. The incidence of events fell after 2006. More poisoning events occurred in central China, such as Henan and Jiangsu province, and an increase was noted in April and September.ConclusionTetramine poisoning events, as reported in the national Chinese media, fell after the implementation of strict regulation on tetramine. The causal relationship is not known.

Models to identify treatments for the acute and persistent effects of seizure‐inducing chemical threat agents

“…TETS is a highly toxic convulsant poison, which, on the basis of dosage (mg/kg), is as potent as or more potent than OP nerve agents. Although its production has been banned worldwide since 1991, clinical reports of TETS intoxication continue to appear regularly in Chinese‐language academic journals . There has been a large number of mass poisonings in China and elsewhere, and it is likely that tens of thousands of people have been poisoned with TETS, many deliberately .…”

Combined treatment with diazepam and allopregnanolone reverses tetramethylenedisulfotetramine (TETS)-induced calcium dysregulation in cultured neurons and protects TETS-intoxicated mice against lethal seizures

“…Tens of thousands of deaths due to TETS poisoning have been documented, primarily in China (Li et al, 2014), and there is significant concern regarding its potential use as a chemical threat agent outside of China (Whitlow et al, 2005; Jett and Yeung, 2010). There is no established antidote for TETS intoxication in humans.…”

Development of Tetramethylenedisulfotetramine (TETS) Hapten Library: Synthesis, Electrophysiological Studies, and Immune Response in Rabbits.

“…[3] More than three thousand poisonings between 2000 and 2012 in China have been associated with TETS. [3b] …”