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Arafat may have been poisoned with polonium

Published:Friday | November 8, 2013 | 12:00 AM
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Arafat
Swiss professor Francois Bochud (left), director of the Chuv Radiophysics Institute, and Swiss professor Patrice Mangin (right), director of the University Center of Legal Medicine in Lausanne, speak on a forensics report concerning the late President Yasser Arafat during a press conference at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, in Lausanne, Switzerland, yesterday. - AP
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LONDON (AP):

Swiss scientists say they've found evidence that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat may have been poisoned with polonium. The deadly radioactive element first hit the headlines when it was used to kill KGB agent-turned-Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006.

Arafat died under mysterious circumstances at a French military hospital in 2004. Scientists at Switzerland's Institute of Radiation Physics, who examined soil and bone samples from Arafat's grave, said their results "moderately support" the theory Arafat was poisoned with polonium. Other scientists say the results are suggestive, but do not provide definitive proof that Arafat was poisoned.

Here are some facts about polonium.

What is polonium?

It occurs naturally in very low concentrations in the Earth's crust and also is produced artificially in nuclear reactors. In small amounts, it has legitimate industrial uses, mainly in devices to eliminate static electricity. Polonium is not naturally found in the human body.

How dangerous is it?

Very. If ingested, it is lethal in extremely small doses. A minuscule amount of the silver powder is sufficient to kill. British radiation experts say once polonium-210 enters the bloodstream, its deadly effects are nearly impossible to stop.

How can it poison people?

People can be poisoned with polonium if they eat or drink food contaminated with it, breathe contaminated air or it enters the body through an open wound.

What are the symptoms of polonium poisoning?

A poisoning victim experiences multiple organ failure as alpha radiation particles bombard the liver, kidneys, and bone marrow from within. Symptoms including nausea, hair loss, and throat swelling.