'Azide' Found in the Body of High School Student Who Died After Vaccination... Also Used for Crime in China

Autopsy by National Forensic Service Detects Lethal Levels of Nitrite in High School Student's Body
Commonly Used in Processed Meats Like Sausages and Bacon... Dangerous in Large Amounts
Bereaved Family Appeals "No Reason for Younger Brother's Extreme Choice"

Sodium Nitrite (Nitrite). / Photo by Internet Community Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] An autopsy revealed that a large amount of sodium nitrite (nitrite) was detected in the body of high school student A, who died after receiving an influenza (flu) vaccine. Nitrite is commonly used as a meat preservative because it gives meat an appetizing bright red color, but ingesting it in large quantities can be fatal.

On the 27th, the Michuhol Police Station in Incheon announced that, following an autopsy request to the National Forensic Service (NFS), a lethal amount of nitrite (4-6g for adults) was detected in A’s stomach.

Based on these findings, the police are investigating all possibilities, including that A ingested nitrite to commit suicide or mistakenly consumed it thinking it was salt or sugar.

Nitrite is a crystalline powder that appears white or pale yellow and is used as a meat preservative to give meat a bright red color. It is mainly added in small amounts to processed meat products such as sausages, bacon, and canned meat.

However, ingesting large amounts can cause cerebral blood vessel dilation and temple pain. Additionally, when introduced into the human body, it can trigger specific reactions that may cause cancer. Therefore, international cancer research organizations classify it as a Group 2A carcinogen.

Due to its toxicity, nitrite is sometimes used as a poison in crimes. A representative case is the "kindergarten student poisoning death incident" that occurred in China on March 27 last year (local time).

Nitrites are used to give processed meat surfaces a bright red color. / Photo by Yonhap News

At that time, 25 children at a kindergarten in Henan Province, China, showed symptoms such as vomiting after breakfast and were taken to the hospital. One of them died. Chinese police investigations detected nitrite in the porridge the children ate.

The investigation revealed that the culprit was Wang Yun, a childcare teacher at the kindergarten. Wang had previously quarreled with another teacher over managing the children, and out of resentment, she put nitrite into the porridge of the children cared for by the teacher she had argued with.

Wang, who was charged with administering a hazardous substance, was sentenced to death by the Chinese first-instance court on the 28th of last month.

Additionally, in 2011, a Chinese dairy farmer added nitrite to milk, causing the deaths of three infants. It was found that the farmer secretly added nitrite to a rival neighbor’s milk while competing for milk sales. The farmer was charged with murder, sentenced to death, and the sentence was carried out in 2013.

The family of high school student A, who died after receiving the flu vaccine, claimed on the 27th on the Blue House's public petition board that "there is absolutely no reason for my younger sibling to have made an extreme choice." / Photo by Blue House Public Petition Board Capture

Meanwhile, A’s family has expressed disbelief in the NFS autopsy results and protested. A petitioner, who identified himself as A’s older brother, posted a petition titled "Please clear the injustice of my younger brother’s death" on the Blue House National Petition Board on the 27th, appealing for justice.

The petitioner stated, "The police say they are focusing on the possibility of suicide, but they found nothing suspicious in investigations of my brother’s friends or school," and added, "My brother always wore masks rated KF80 or higher to avoid contracting Wuhan pneumonia (COVID-19) and never consumed unhygienic things."

He continued, "My brother was among the top students in school and had almost completed his university entrance exams, so he was under minimal psychological pressure or stress, and there was absolutely no reason for him to commit suicide," expressing, "If this case is closed by concluding that my diligent brother took his own life, it would be extremely unfair."