André de Ruyter assassination attempt – Cyanide ‘would not lead to instant death’

Two days after allegedly being poisoned with cyanide, outgoing Eskom CEO André de Ruyter was back at his desk hosting an hour-long media conference on the state of the utility.

With the matter now reported to the SA Police Service, EE Business Intelligence managing director Chris Yelland revealed De Ruyter was attended to by doctors after drinking a cup of coffee at his office in Megawatt Park in Sandton on 13 December and became weak, dizzy and confused, shaking uncontrollably and vomiting copiously. He then collapsed, unable to walk.

Private practitioner Dr Angelique Coetzee said cyanide was one of the most famous poisons one could get, although it would not lead to instant death.

ALSO READ: DA calls on Ramaphosa to act following De Ruyter murder attempt

She said it could refer to any chemical which contained a carbon nitrogen bond which could also be found in certain medications but were not as toxic in the medication form because they did not easily release the carbon nitrogen iron which acted as a poison in the body.

“One needs to understand cyanide is a by-product of the metabolism of the healing body and it is exhaled in very low amounts with every breath. But, yes, there are deadly forms of cyanide which appear as solids, liquids or gasses,” she said.

Symptoms

“There are a lot of symptoms but the severity of symptoms depends on the dose and the type of cyanide and how long one was exposed.”

Coetzee said there were two different ways – the “acute cyanide poisoning”, which was immediate and life-threatening, and the “chronic cyanide poisoning”, which resulted from exposure to smaller amounts over time.

“Acute cyanide is relatively rare and most of the time it is unintentional exposure and you could have difficulty breathing, [have] seizures or loss of consciences and you will have to seek medical help,” Coetzee said.

“But chronic cyanide poisoning can occur if you are exposed to 20 to 40 parts per million of hydrogen cyanide gas over a substantial period of time. These symptoms are often gradual and increase in severity. Again headaches, drowsiness, vomiting and dilated pupils – and it can even lead to death if not treated.

NOW READ: ‘Cyanide poisoning’: Eskom CEO André De Ruyter opens attempted murder case

“So, if you are at risk or have people who have smoke emulation or people who work around or with cyanide, or people work in certain industries with these types of chemicals, [they] can also be at risk.”

Treatment options

Coetzee said there were treatment options.

“You need to stop the intake of the source. If you ingested cyanide, you might be given activated charcoal to help absorb toxins and safely clear it from body and it could affect oxygen intake, so you might get oxygen masks or cyanide kits,” she said.

“If not treated, whether it is acute cyanide or chronic cyanide, it might lead to death. Preventative measures are necessary.”

Cyanide potentially deadly

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) site described cyanide as a rapidly acting, potentially deadly chemical which could exist in various forms.

According to the CDC, cyanide could be a colourless gas, such as hydrogen cyanide or cyanogen chloride, or a crystal form such as sodium cyanide or potassium cyanide.

“One could be exposed to cyanide by breathing air, drinking water, eating food, or touching soil which contained cyanide.”

ALSO READ: Our corrupt and inept politicians won’t sort out Eskom’s challenges

The CDC added that the extent of poisoning caused by cyanide depended on the amount of cyanide a person was exposed to, the route of exposure and the length of time a person was exposed. It stated breathing cyanide gas caused the most harm, but swallowing cyanide could be toxic as well.

– lungas@citizen.co.za

Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) at Eskom, Andre de Ruyter