Viktor Yushchenko scarred by dioxin poisoning
The picture combo shows Viktor Yushchenko in file photos dated March 28, 2002, left, and Dec. 6, 2004, right. The Ukrainian opposition leader and presidential candidate’s mysterious illness that scarred his face was caused by dioxin poisoning, doctors said Saturday Dec. 11, 2004, in Vienna, Austria. (AP Photo/Viktor Pobedinsky/Efrem Lukatsky)
Via Wikipedia:
The campaign was often bitter, controversial, and violent. Yushchenko became seriously ill in early September 2004. He was flown to Vienna’s Rudolfinerhaus clinic for treatment and diagnosed with “acute pancreatitis, accompanied by interstitial edematous changes”, said to be due to “a serious viral infection and chemical substances which are not normally found in food products”, which Yushchenko claimed to be the work of agents of the government. After the illness, his face became pale, heavily disfigured, bloated, and pockmarked (before and after pictures).
After seeing Mr. Yushchenko’s deformed face on the evening news, the Dutch toxicologist Bram Brouwer contacted the Rudolfinerhaus to test some of Yushchenko’s blood at the Free University of Amsterdam for dioxin. According to Dr Michael Zimpfer, president of the Rudolfinerhaus, these tests provided conclusive evidence that Yushchenko’s condition resulted from “high concentrations of dioxin, most likely orally administered”. This hypothesis had already been suggested by British toxicologist John Henry of St. Mary’s Hospital in London, as the marks on Yushchenko’s face are chloracne, a characteristic symptom of dioxin poisoning. Other scientists suggested that the illness might have been the result of rosacea but this theory failed to account for the severe internal medical problems suffered by Yushchenko. On December 11, Austrian doctors confirmed Yushchenko was poisoned with TCDD dioxin, and has more than 1,000 times (other sources say 6,000 times) the usual concentration in his body [2]. This is the second highest dioxin level ever measured in a human. Yushchenko’s chief of staff Oleg Ribachuk has suggested that the poison used was a mycotoxin called T-2, also known as “Yellow Rain”, a Soviet-era substance which was reputedly used in Afghanistan as a chemical weapon.
Yushchenko has linked the poisoning to a dinner with a group of senior Ukrainian officials, including the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Ihor Smeshko, on the evening before Yushchenko fell ill. This hypothesis is disputed by some toxicologists, who claim that symptoms of dioxin poisoning usually take 3-14 days to appear—John Henry, professor of accident and emergency medicine at St Mary’s Hospital in London, said “a few months after swallowing” or other contact[3]—and experiencing them a few hours after ingesting the poison would be unusual.
