Girls Deaths Raise Poison Expert's Suspicions

Remember the tragic death of two Foreign teachers working in Korea who died of poisoning in Nha Trang in 2012 July? The VN police were somewhat vague on the coroners findings. The Vnese girls body was transported bak to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and the US girls remains (ashes) were returned to the US. Subsequent tesing ensued.

A report from National Public Radio n the USA says, in part:

October 20, 2012

In late July, two women in their mid-20s were backpacking through Vietnam. Kari Bowerman, a 27-year-old American from Wisconsin, and Cathy Huynh, a 26-year-old Canadian, were on vacation from their jobs as English teachers in South Korea.

The companions arrived in Vietnam one day, and the next day they were in the hospital, Blum says. "They were, both of them, suffering from symptoms of what looked like acute poising."

Huynh was discharged from the hospital, but returned later that night to visit Bowerman — only to find out she had died. Huynh herself died in the hospital two days later.

A pesticide called chlorpyrifos is being blamed for the women's deaths. Though commonly used to treat bedbug infestations in Asian countries, it's banned for use in residential buildings in the United States because of its link to developmental problems in children.

Blum says the theory that Bowerman and Huynh died from careless fumigation at their hotel doesn't add up.

"If you're doing widespread fumigation, it's not like you're just doing one room," she says. Why didn't hotel workers or other guests die?

Rather, Blum thinks the deaths of all these women may have been deliberate. In the case of the Belangers, she says, "why would these two young girls ... be the only ones who die from a poisoned cocktail? That doesn't sound to me like you're randomly drinking the popular beach drink. That sounds to me like someone picked you out."

Blum is continuing her investigation into the deaths, but in Thailand police are standing by their story. The autopsies point to one cause, they say, DEET.

Source: < www.npr.org/2012/10/20/163303716/touris … suspicions >.