Agroterrorism: Food Poisoning Brought to a New Level, 5/18

Culinary Historians of Chicago presents:

Agroterrorism:
Food Poisoning Brought to a New Level!

Presented by
Jerrold Leikin, MD
Nationally Acclaimed Poison Expert

Saturday, May 18, 2013
10 a.m. to Noon
Chicago History Museum (note location!)
1601 N. Clark St., Chicago


Poison expert Dr. Jerrold Leikin, will reveal the history and nature of agroterrorism, or how the human food supply has been used as a weapon to launch a multitude of toxins. Gather round as Dr. Leikin talks about our vulnerabilities, and describes some horrific biological, chemical and radiological food contamination events. And he will tell us of the numerous valiant food employees who have been “the first non-clinical professionals to identify and respond to incidences of agroterrorism.”

Dr. Leikin will provide several past examples of agroterrorism such as the headline grabbing event in Oregon in 1984 when the Bhagwan Shree Rajneeshee cult deliberately contaminated a salad-bar with salmonella--to influence the local elections! (This and other actual horror stories are described in Dr. Leikin’s book “Toxico-Terrorism: Emergency Response and Clinical Approach to Chemical Biological and Radiological Agents” published by McGraw Hill Medical in 2007.)

Now, the question is, what kind of food samples can we serve at a food poisoning event? Come and be surprised!

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Dr. Leikin is currently Director of Medical Toxicology at NorthShore University HealthSystem-OMEGA and also Associate Director of the Toxicon Consortium based at Cook County Hospital. In addition, he is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine and Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology at Rush Medical College.

Dr. Leikin served as co-editor of both the Poisoning and Toxicology Handbook (CRC Press) and the American Medical Association Handbook of First Aid and Emergency Care. House. He is currently on staff at seven hospitals, five medical schools and three poison centers.

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Cost of the lecture program is $5, $3 for students, and no charge for CHC members.
To reserve, please e-mail your reservation to: Culinary.Historians@gmail.com.

I wonder if he will discuss the poisoning at the Inaugural Banquet for President James Buchanan (March 4, 1857) at the National Hotel in Washington, DC. Many became ill from arsenic poisoning, claimed to have been put in the salad dressing, and three congressmen died. (Buchanan didn't eat at the banquet, although he had gotten ill at the Hotel before). (The current thought is that this was not a deliberate act of poisoning, but had to do with the pipes at the hotel, but there was the claim that it was a conspiracy by Buchanan's enemies.). Whatever the case it was not an auspicious beginning to a presidency that was not auspicious. That event, conspiracy or not, has been almost completely forgotten.

GAF wrote:I wonder if he will discuss the poisoning at the Inaugural Banquet for President James Buchanan (March 4, 1857) at the National Hotel in Washington, DC. Many became ill from arsenic poisoning, claimed to have been put in the salad dressing, and three congressmen died. (Buchanan didn't eat at the banquet, although he had gotten ill at the Hotel before). (The current thought is that this was not a deliberate act of poisoning, but had to do with the pipes at the hotel, but there was the claim that it was a conspiracy by Buchanan's enemies.). Whatever the case it was not an auspicious beginning to a presidency that was not auspicious. That event, conspiracy or not, has been almost completely forgotten.

I will ask.

Already been thinking about appropriate food to serve, one is Grape Flavor Aid, made in West Chicago, was served at Jonestown.

Regards,

Wild mushrooms are always a good choice for a topic such as this, as Dorothy Sayers understood well.

Agroterrorism: Attacking with food

In April food was used as a weapon when an unidentified person sent ricin-laced letters to President Obama and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Ala.). Ricin, a derivative of castor beans, was the poison in this case of agroterrorism.

“This is the terrorism of the past and a potential arena for the future,” said Dr. Jerrold Leikin, the director of medical toxicology at NorthShore University HealthSystem—OMEGA. “It all depends on the goals of the individual terrorists.”

WBEZ’s Chicago Amplified partners with Culinary Historians by recording our programs and making them available for broadcast on demand at their website or downloadable to an iPod. Our most recent program:

Agroterrorism: Food poisoning brought to a new level, May 18, 2013, https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/ag ... 97387a32c5