Cyanide investigation continues
University Police say they are investigating a possible cyanide poisoning at the college of pharmacy.Venkatalakshmi Balakrishnan, a doctoral student in pharmacy, became ill and fainted Jan. 10 at the pharmacy school. She was transported to the OSU Medical Center.Lane Wallace, associate dean of the college of pharmacy, said Wednesday that Balakrishnan was not in the lab the day of the incident. Wallace’s statement contradicts the version of events given Thursday by two people who claim to be witnesses. They maintain that Balakrishnan had just exited the lab that morning and was reading and drinking hot chocolate when she fainted.OSU Police Chief Ron Michalec said officers were called by the medical center a few days after the incident.Police hope they can soon talk to Balakrishnan about what she remembers, he said. ‘It’s really tough to make a decision because she is unable to talk to us,’ Michalec said.There are many possible ways Balakrishnan could have come into contact with the poison, Michalec said. ‘You really can’t rule anything out,’ he said.Cecil Smith, assistant vice president of the Environmental Health and Safety division of the Physical Facilities Department at OSU said the division was called to investigate the incident. Results of the inquiry cannot be released because of the ongoing police investigation, Smith said.Officials at the Central Ohio Poison Center said cyanide poisoning is very rare.Cyanide is used in a few industries, such as mining.
