If you type Gloria Ramirez in Google, then the first thing that you will see the term “The Toxic Lady”. She was a normal citizen of Riverside California with her husband and two children. She was born in the year 1963, January 11. She died in 1994, February 19. That time her age was only 31 years. The reason for her death was cancer caused by Cardiac Dysrhythmia.
Why Was Gloria Ramirez So Popular?
She was popular because when she was admitted to the hospital, she was the reason for the illness of many hospitals’ staff and workers. Hence, the name Gloria Ramirez toxic lady was apt with her condition. She was admitted to the emergency department. While the hospital staff was treating her, many workers witness muscle spasms and shortness of breathing. Others even fainted.
It was a big question of how a normal lady with cancer problems can be the reason for the illness of so many hospital staff. In such a situation, five hospital workers needed hospitalization where one remains in ICU for almost two weeks. She died in a very short time after admitted to the hospital. The complication related to cancer was the real reason for Gloria Ramirez’s death.
Gloria Ramirez – The Toxic Death Mystery
In the year 1994, February 19 at 8.15 pm, paramedics brought a woman of 31 years young woman in a wheelchair into an emergency room. In southern California’s General Hospital. A woman in her t-shirt and shorts was awake and was responding to medical staff questions vaguely. She was taking rapid shallow breathing. She was having very fast heartbeats that the chambers are allowed to fill. Hence her BP was dropping.
The medical staff gave her drug called Valium, Ativan and Versed to cool her down. But Gloria Ramirez was not responding to the treatment in a good way. Then, they opened her shirt for heart defibrillate with the help of electricity. That was the time when everyone noticed that her whole body had oily sheen kind of thing. There was garlic fruity odor which they thought were coming from the mouth.
A nurse named Susan Kane needed blood for analysis and when took her right-side arm and rub with rubbing alcohol, insert the catheter and then attach the syringe. Then, a foul smell and total emergency room broke down. When Kane fills the syringe with the blood of Gloria Ramirez toxic lady, she got the foul chemical smell. Kane handed over the syringe to Welch and said that the smell was like Ammonia.
Then, Julie Gorchynski who was a medical resident noticed that in the blood some kind of particles was floating which was manila colored. Kane suddenly turned to the trauma room and fell. Her face was sort of burning and she was taken away from the trauma room. After that, Gorchynski also felt queasy and left that trauma room and sat on a desk or nurse. As soon a staff member asked, she was ok, she fell on the floor.
She was the second hospital member who was taken away from the trauma room in a wheelchair. She stopped her breathing for some time and then was taking a few breaths and again she stopped breathing. This condition was named as apnea. In the meantime, Welch was the third staff who got shocked in the trauma room. When she woke up, she could not move her limbs.
Overnight Riverside General Hospital came under media attention. The news of the human body releasing toxic chemical fumes spread like fire. Even in forensic history, it became a popular investigation. Many researchers and medical investigators believed that a series of chemical reactions transformed Gloria Ramirez’s body into a nerve gas container.
After Welch, many hospital staff also felt dizzy and the administrator announced an internal emergency. The patients of the emergency room immediately shifted to the hospital’s parking lot. Finally, at 8.50 pm Ochoa announced her death. Her body was moved to isolation. Out of 37 emergency medical staff, 23 of them suffered strange symptoms.
The medical authorities did not conclude about the death of Gloria Ramirez. They did not even consider her as the main source of toxic fumes. Taylor referred to it as an unfortunate incident mainly the hospital is responsible for the poisonous fumes, which took Gloria Ramirez’s life. He even pointed fingers on the medical investigation team for not sharing the death result.
To the counter-attack, the County officials released a statement that Gloria Ramirez’s death was the most mysterious case in their local history. Also, they mentioned that they will release the findings by the end of that month.
For an autopsy, pathologists took all protective measures like wearing protective suits. They even worked in a specialized room for the autopsy. But Taylor was determined and said at the memorial service that the hospital is responsible for the Gloria Ramirez 1994 death. After the autopsy, doctors bring out the name dimethyl sulfone.
Theory Of Dimethyl Sulfone
Hypothetically, DMSO gel is a home remedy to reduce the symptoms of cancer. Well, it needed only one oxygen to form dimethyl sulfone and that may have come from her oxygen mask. Investigators attempted the exposure and they came in conclusion that when DMSO came in exposure with oxygen, it formed dimethyl sulfone crystals in manila colored.
After her death many investigations took place and media played an important role in bringing out the mysterious death through Gloria Ramirez’s documentary. The documentary helps you understand the details of the mysterious death of Gloria Ramirez.
But, dimethyl sulfone was not at all toxic rather it had started a series of chain reactions, which increased the poisonous fumes in large numbers. When DMSO combines with one oxygen then you receive dimethyl sulfone.
When these two molecules combine with dimethyl sulfone you will get dimethyl sulfate. Dimethyl sulfate created serious havoc in true sense. If it was absorbed in your body, then you can face paralysis, organ damage, convulsions, and coma. Hence, people stopped using DMSO as a home remedy.
Investigation Of Gloria Ramirez Death
Andresen found many chemicals and hydrocarbons in the plastic container of the sterile item. It was possible that the products were sterilized, clean but were not free of chemicals. Andresen even found amine from the family of ammonia which led to the ammonia-like smell in the room. In the end, Andresen concluded that he wasted so much time but could not find anything from the investigation.
Later Coroner Scotty Hill in the press conference announced that Gloria Ramirez’s 1994 death was from cardiac dysrhythmia which caused kidney failure from cervical cancer. About Ramirez’s death and illness in hospital staff, he said that toxicological studies did not identify any substance of external toxicity that led to Gloria Ramirez’s death.
Controversial Reports On Gloria Ramirez Death Mystery
After the death of Gloria Ramirez toxic lady, New Times LA proposed another explanation where they said that hospital staff was responsible for manufacturing illegal drug methamphetamine. They even smuggled them through IV bags. The exposure of one bag may lead to headaches, nausea, and even blackouts. But another story reflected the dimethyl sulfone. Hence, the entire incident of Gloria Ramirez’s death remained a chemical and medical mystery.
Gloria Ramirez Toxic Lady An Inspiration Of TV Shows
Gloria Ramirez’s death mystery became the center subject of many crime and investigation shows. Gloria Ramirez Grey’s Anatomy show got inspiration from her mystery death to create a television episode. The X-files episode where an alien was shown toxic blood was basically an inspiration from this real human toxic medical case.
After 2 months of the incident, her body was handed over to the family. They did not have money and they had to sell the yard for her funeral prayer. After 10 weeks, Gloria Ramirez buried in Olivewood Cemetery in an unmarked grave. Yet, the death of Gloria still remain an unsaid mystery in the world of medical science.