Posted on 11/23/2006 3:15:43 PM PST by lunarbicep
Poisoned Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko died on Thursday in an intensive care ward, London's University College Hospital said.
Litvinenko, a fierce critic of the Russian government, suffered a rapid deterioration in his health on Thursday, but doctors still were unable to determine the cause of his death, a spokesman said in a statement.
Throwin' in the towel, eh? It's been a good run.
Putin and his regime are disgusting.He belongs with communist china,and the islamic terrorists in iran.
A nonsense. Much more valueble target would be Zakayev.
Fox News just reporting that the cause of death was massive radioactive poisoning. Says Scotland Yard will have more information in the next few hours.
Thanks :)
[tin foil hat mode]
Litvinenko was a double-spy who had an accident while handling radioactive material smuggled into London.
[/tin foil hat mode]
Good Lord, how did he come in contact with that muchradiation.
A nonsense. Much more valueble target would be Zakayev.==
If this one will die soon then I'll admit that it is the speznaz work.
speznaz?
Putin and his regime are disgusting.He belongs with communist china,and the islamic terrorists in iran.==
Can you wait for official Scotland Yard investigation? Let them tell us teh cause of death then we may speculate on the perpetrators. Until then everything is just evil gossips which got duped the ignorant western publics.
Where did this man come in contact with enough radiation to kill him? If true this is a significant finding!
Pelonium 210 found!
Police hunt radioactive material in ex-Russian spy case
British police investigating the death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko have called in experts to search for radioactive material, Home Secretary John Reid has said."The Metropolitan Police are currently investigating the death of Alexander Litvinenko which is believed to be linked to the presence of a radioactive substance in his body," he said in a statement Friday.
"As part of this investigation, the police have called in expert assistance to search for any residual radioactive material at a number of locations," he added.
Reid said health authorities would keep the public informed "as appropriate" but told anyone concerned to contact health professionals who have been briefed about the issue.
Litvinenko, 43, died of suspected poisoning in a London hospital late Thursday after a three-week fight for life.
His friend and spokesman Alex Goldfarb on Friday read a posthumous letter which he said Litvinenko had written earlier this week in which he directly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being responsible in his death.
Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement.
Reid's statement Friday stands at odds with a hospital statement Thursday in which doctors said it was "unlikely" that radioactivity was the cause of Litvinenko's condition.
They also ruled out an initial diagnosis of poisoning by the heavy metal thallium.
The public health body the Health Protection Agency were scheduled to hold a news conference on the Litvinenko affair at 3:00 pm (1500 GMT) Friday, Reid's statement said.
Thank you!
Polonium is a highly radioactive and toxic element and is dangerous to handle. Even in milligram or microgram amounts, handling polonium-210 is very dangerous and requires special equipment used with strict procedures. Direct damage occurs from energy absorption into tissues from alpha particles. The maximum allowable body burden for ingested polonium is only 1100 becquerels (0.03 microcurie), which is equivalent to a particle weighing only 6.8 × 10-12 gram. Weight for weight polonium is approximately 2.5 × 1011 times as toxic as hydrocyanic acid.
Polonium-210 is very dangerous to handle in even milligram or microgram amounts, and special equipment and strict control is necessary. Damage arises from the complete absorption of the energy of the alpha particle into tissue.
The maximum permissible body burden for ingested polonium is only 0.03 microcuries, which represents a particle weighing only 6.8 x 10-12 g. Weight for weight it is about 2.5 x 1011 times as toxic as hydrocyanic acid. The maximum allowable concentration for soluble polonium compounds in air is about 2 x 10-11 microcuries/cm3.
Polonium found in the patients urine.
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