August 23, 2004
A minor traffic accident at an Omaha intersection Monday led to an FBI investigation of a suspicious chemical that forced the decontamination of four people.
Following the collision between two cars at 40th and Leavenworth, police said one driver, Sivaprakash Natarajan of Manhattan, Kansas, offered the other driver money to let the matter drop. When that driver called police, Natarajan began eating a white, powdery substance that was in his car and became violently ill. A police officer, a firefighter, and the other driver also came in contact with the substance. "The other people were transported as a precaution not knowing what was involved and they were decontaminated at the scene and transported to the local hospital," said Omaha Fire Department Batt. Chief Rob Prucha.
The substance was later identified as cyanuric chloride, an acid used in the manufacture of pesticides and herbicides. While it does not contain cyanide, it can cause burns to the skin and internal burns if ingested. Crews remained at the scene for several hours, spraying down the street and nearby vehicles.
Natarajan remains hospitalized in serious condition. The other three were treated and released. Their clothing was removed and placed in bio-hazard bins and Natarajan's car was sealed up. Natarajan told police he got the substance from Kansas State University. The school says it has no reports of stolen or missing chemicals. Natarajan was a K-State student in its master's degree program for apparel and textiles from 2001 to May 2004, but is not currently enrolled there. Researchers at Kansas State have used cyanuric chloride with a fatty acid from soybeans to make a fabric softener which in one study improved the flame resistance of cotton.
The woman, whose car was hit said she had no idea what was going on. At one point, she asked doctors if she was going to die. Because she is frightened, she did not want her name used. We'll call her Mary. Mary said after she was hit, the other driver tried to take off. "I said, what are you doing and he finally realized he couldn't go nowhere. He stopped and he came over to me and said, 'please don't call the cops.'" Mary said he offered her $2,000 to keep her mouth shut. She refused and said police were on their way. At that point, Mary said he went to his trunk, grabbed a bag, and started putting something all over his face. When police arrived, he also drank something from a cup. "He started sweatin' and talkin' all crazy and hollerin' for his mom and other things and she asked him what was in the bag and he said cyanide or something like that. She said 'Oh my God, get back, get back, everybody get back.'"
The officer let Mary leave the scene so she ran some errands. Mary's first stop was to A-OK Insurance to pay a bill, then to Melody Motors to pay another bill. Then police called her back to the scene. They believed she might be contaminated. Police also put employees of A-OK under quarantine because Mary had entered the premises, and asked Bill Miller, owner of Melody Motors, if he came in physical contact with her. "These cops, 'are you sure you didn't touch her?' I said man, I never touched her. 'Cause if you touched her we got to decontaminate you.'" At the accident scene, Mary was put through the decontamination process, sprayed with water and foam, then wrapped up in what she called a trash bag and taken to the hospital. "I was askin' the doctors, am I gonna die? Is this some poison chemicals? Am I gonna die? He said, 'no, don't worry about it, you're okay.'" Physically she's okay, psychologically is another story. She said she only wishes she would have stayed home.
Mary described Natarajan as being of Arabic or Indian descent. She said he was not able to speak English very well. The FBI is conducting the investigation. The Joint Terrorism Task Force was also called in, though now it is not believed to have been related to terrorism. The FBI said there is no public health concern because of this incident.
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