The Deadly Dose – Details, episodes & analysis

In today's episode, Harini shares the incredible story of The Freedom House Ambulance Service. Freedom House was the first emergency medical service in the United States to provide training beyond first aid and other amazing things, such as being the first emergency service to supply Narcan in overdose cases! Freedom House, staffed entirely by black paramedics, was the blueprint for paramedic training and emergency medical services today (although back then, a ride in the ambulance was entirely free *sigh*).

Further Reading: "American Sirens" by Kevin Hazzard. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Megan provides a step-by-step update on her compounded semaglutide journey. She and Harini also contemplate the quick but quiet death of the Ozempic craze (at least by frenzied-netizen-discourse standards). Why were we all so passionately opiniated about Ozempic for five months, and now can barely get DailyMail to cover it? And what has the FDA had to say since the Ozempic name has become passé? Tune in to find out!

NOTE: Since the recording of this episode, the American Diabetes Association has released new data on a wide-array of novel GLP-1 agonists ("obesity drugs") that truly make semaglutide old news. Read about it here: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2023/06/ozempic-pills-obesity-drugs-semaglutide/674541/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy International Women's Day! If you're looking to learn about a rockstar woman scientist, check out Episode 40 - The Mirror Image Disaster. In it, we talk about Dr. Frances Oldhem Kelsey, the FDA scientist who single-handedly fought to keep Thalidomide off the market and out of our medicine cabinets.

In today's episode, Harini teaches Megan about how one of the biggest Allied cover-ups in WWII history led to the discovery and development of chemotherapy. During WWII, German bombers devastated the port of Bari, Italy where Allied personnel were stationed. Soldiers who were launched into the harbor, but survived the bombing, began to experience severe blistering and heightened internal temperatures. American doctor and chemical warfare expert, Stewart Francis Alexander, believed that all symptoms pointed to mustard gas. But when his report to Allied leaders was met with indifference and exasperation, he knew he had stumbled upon a possible conspiracy. Why were they denying the presence of mustard gas in the bay? Why was this form of gas causing these specific symptoms? Tune in to find out.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've been keeping a close eye on the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. It has been over three weeks since the 38-car freight train derailed and leaked toxic chemicals - most significantly, vinyl chloride and butyl acrylate - into the soil. In an effort towards containment, the EPA authorized a control burn of these chemicals which has led to widespread concern, locally and nationally, about dioxin pollution in the air. In addition, the derailment has re-ignited scrutiny towards negligence in the railroad industry. Nearly one month later, how has this disaster impacted the natural environment and civilian health since its occurrence? And what long lasting consequences will the residents of East Palestine and surrounding communities feel in the years to follow?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Megan addresses the recent uptick in public interest in fungi and fungal infections as a result of HBO's newest series, The Last of Us. When the series aired, frenzied netizens were quick to take to online forums - Reddit, TikTok - to draw parallels between the show/video game and real life. Zombifying fungi do exist in the real world and the rate of fungal infections have increased in the last six years (possibly due to an increase in global temperature). Scary! But how much stock should we really put into the science behind The Last of Us and frightening fungi? Megan has answers. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Riverside, CA, 1994, a young woman by the name of Gloria Cecilia Ramirez was admitted to the emergency department of Riverside General Hospital for tachycardia and abnormal respiratory patterns. As emergency staff proceeded with defribillation, it was observed that Gloria's body was covered in an oily sheen and was emitting a garlicky-fruity smell. As a nurse drew blood, the smell of ammonia filled the room. Several hospital workers in proximity to Gloria became nauseaus and collapsed. What was happening in that hospital room? Had Gloria's body become a biomedical hazard? And, if so, how? This is the story of The Toxic Lady. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the epic story of Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, an American chemist who pulled back the curtain on the unregulated, U.S. food industry of the late 1800s. With the assistance of his "Poison Squad" - a group of test subjects who willingly volunteered to eat food preserved with toxic substances such as formaldehyde and borax - and the indirect help of Upton Sinclair's sensational The Jungle, Harvey was finally able to influence the passing of the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. Try not to listen on an empty stomach, because you may not have an appetite by the end. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're rounding out the Four Big Pollution Disasters/Diseases of Japan with Yokkaichi asthma. Yokkaichi asthma was the name given to a breadth of respiratory ailments that the people of Yokkaichi, Japan suffered due to negligent industrial plant practices between 1960-1970. Sodium dioxide and sodium trioxide (in the form of acid mist) filled the skies above Yokkaichi and left a lasting impact on the city. Similar to Minamata and Itai Itai disease, Yokkaichi asthma was a result of a rapidly industrializing country that was laser focused on its chemical exports, sadly, to the detriment of its environment and its people.  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Harini is launching a YouTube channel! Today I Learned Science by Dr. Harini Bhat goes live on Thursday, January 26th at 12pm PST. Click the link below and subscribe for additional, riveting science content that goes beyond the world of toxicology and poison. 

https://youtube.com/@tilscience

In this episode, we discuss Itai Itai disease -  one of the Four Big Pollution Diseases of Japan. Similar to Minamata disease, this excruciating bone and kidney disease was the outcome of mass, toxic metal poisoning through polluted waterways. It disproportionately impacted women and the elderly. Those who became sick were known to weep the phrase "Itai Itai!", meaning "It hurts! It hurts!".

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Harini gives us a rundown of the history of vitamins and supplements. An unexpected byproduct of post-WWII, high-yield agricultural practices and the development of genetically modified, disease-resistant grains, supplements and supplemental vitamins quickly became a household staple to accommodate for nutrient-poor food. In less than a century, the world of "vits" and "sups" has evolved into a multi-billion dollar, unregulated industry. The FDA has no jurisdiction here. While the chance of supplement-poisoning is exceedingly rare, listeners will walk away from this episode raising eyebrows every time someone says, "Take your vitamins!".

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.