Meteorite makes village ill? Yikes!

I have a feeling that it is not radiation that is the cause of the illness. Radiation is easily detectable, and was probably tested for early on. I would assume that if there was any detectable radiation at the crash site it would have been mentioned in the article. So it may be a microbe... Which would be bad.

reply to post by windwaker


For some reason I seriously doubt it's a pathogen of any kind.

Originally posted by Project_Exo
I found a very interesting video of a meator like object in brizil. I wonder if it has a connection?
video.google.com...

WHAT the heck was that?

Wait a minute. I just read this part...Boling water came out of the crater? Isn't that a possible source of alien life?

reply to post by Sytima


Doesn't this story sound a little unreal? Like something out of a science fiction horror movie. I expect people to start growing tentacles and spitting poison acid goo any minute now.

reply to post by windwaker


No, it's a possible source of hot rock + moisture.

I repeat, it was almost certainly just subsurface H2S. Hydrogen sulphide. It's bubbling up from beneath the water filling the crater, making it appear to "boil". The soil is muddy and waterlogged and supports anaerobic decomposition. Look it up. The meteorite was an excavator, not a source of toxicity.

Originally posted by Irradiatus
Where is everyone getting this "600 people" figure? All the reports I've read say that only about 12 people have reported symptoms.

The updated MSN article says 600 sickened. www.msnbc.msn.com...

Originally posted by green dog
I believe that there's a simple and highly probably explanation: the meteorite impact released hydrogen sulphide from an anaerobic layer deep under the soil.

Ok, that is believable, however the crater is 6ft deep, and I am fairly certain that the 'deep' you are referring to would be located much further below the surface than that. After all, you said an anaerobic layer, which would have either somehow been trapped just below the surface under a non permeable layer of strata that was punctured (which from the picture it appeared to be top soil, not a solid mineral or material capable of maintaining a non oxygenated environment), or would have been more likely hundreds of feet deep in order to allow for that to occur. Now, in addressing the water found in the crater, it is entirely possible for that meteor to have punctured a sub-surface aquifer that would have due to the heat from entry and impact created a large amount of steam and boiling, as being doused would certainly not quench the heat instantly (or possibly for a few hours). In that case, any water soluble contaminates present in the aquifer would have been fairly easy to inhale through the steam released by the impact and heat dispersal (but aquifers are typically fairly clean environments, unless there is something buried or dumped deep or close enough to seep into it, and a possible installation nearby could indeed account for contamination if it is indeed present). One other thing, by no means do I actually believe that an Andromeda strain or zombie plague will result from this meteorite, as those were ideas previously mentioned to my original post, as I say once again I believe both are rather quite silly. Yet, until it is proven by a consensus of non biased experts who fully disclose their findings that the distress these people suffered resulted from soil or water contamination existing prior to impact (or prove beyond a doubt a 'normal' impact related chemical reaction occurred), I will continue to hold an open mind that this meteorite COULD possibly contain some toxic substance yet to be fully understood.

reply to post by Irradiatus


Isn't this how all of these science fiction horror movies start? With someone assuring everyone that there is no cause for alarm...and then, all of a sudden, an alien burst out of your rib cage while you are eating breafast!

In one article they said there was another similar incident that also got people sick, and no meteor or meteorite was ever recovered. That makes me wonder if it could not have been a hunk of frozen gas hurtling through space. That would both explain the sickness, and the lack of a meteor. Just a thought.

reply to post by Irradiatus


BBC reported 600 people falling ill.

So did USA Today

AP reported 200 sick...

Plenty of articles out there all reporting rough estimates of the number sick. It's a very intriguing story and it seems to be getting the media attention. Scientists are due to release results of their initial tests on Thursday apparently. I'm curious to see what the results will tell.

Could you imagine if this thing hit a major city??

Wonder if we'll get the whole story?


[edit on 18-9-2007 by WASTYT]

Originally posted by vincebaby
Either radioactive or biological substances were in the meteorite.

If it were biological it would probably be bioterrorism. I examined the symptoms, and sore throat is not included in the symptoms of radioactive poisoning. A caustic chemical probably caused the symptoms.

Hi all, the MSNBC article above said:
"Limache told RPP that the gases emanating from the crater caused nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches and stomach pain — so much so that authorities were considering calling a state of emergency..."

The symptoms read like Radiation sickness. The Cash and Mexican businessman encounters with something they said was not from here, both had the initial sickness symptoms, Cash had to be hospitalized and suffered confirmed major radiation sickness.

Dallas

This www.foxnews.com... Fox News
article states that two additional "events" which made people sick
in 2002 and 2004 also occured in southern Peru. Three times in one
geographic location over a 5 year period can't be coincidental.

Could some government agency be testing a biological weapon and
using remote Peruvian villagers as guinea pigs? That would be
disgusting, but not beyond the realm of belief. After looking at that
Brazil UFO/Fireball video in this thread, it does appear that SOMETHING
is being tested over South America. As sicko as it would be for humans
to be testing biological weapons on other humans, I'd prefer this
possibility vs. Aliens intentionally doing this. There wouldn't be much
we (mankind) could do to stop them. Now that would be scary!

I hope this story doesn't go away like the 2002 and 2004 events did.
If some government is involved, that's probably exactly what will
happen though. A few scientists & local authorities will investigate
and then we'll never hear another word. -cwm

reply to post by carewemust


I would think that the CDC would have this town on serious lockdown.

You know what's funny about all these media covered events?

Unless I here it from a reliable source such as someone I know elsewhere in the world I don't really believe it to be true.

For some reason the media loves to put a spin on everything and make news instead of reporting it.

I would love for a grassroots credible reporting circuit to come into existence, then and only then will events have credibility.

International and national news agency's have almost no credibility or merit these days, but parroting each other's reports that come from Where????

[edit on 18-9-2007 by Realtruth]

According to this report, there was NO radiation registered at the site. Is it just me or are there so many conflicting reports of this incident that it is starting to "stink"?(pun intended)

The latest Link:www.theage.com.au...

I still say it is frozen gas. A bit of comet.



""Comets are thought to be icy dirtballs made up of exotic ices, dust, and rock particles," explained Donald Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near Earth Objects Program and a co-investigator of the agency's Deep Impact mission. Among the chemicals in a comet: frozen carbon dioxide, frozen ammonia, and solid methane."

from- www.space.com...


[edit on 19-9-2007 by Illusionsaregrander]

I'm not too late to mention how errily similar this is to The Andromeda Strain?!

"Look! An alien virus!"
"...why does my helmet look like an ornament?"

The Andromeda Strain
A U.S. Army satellite falls to earth near Piedmont, New Mexico. The recovery team experiences difficulties as it becomes clear that the satellite has performed its intended function all too well, and has brought back something from space.

A team of five scientists are summoned and gathered together in the top secret Wildfire facility. Fighting against time, they try to find an antidote to Andromeda, the ultimate biological weapon.

The farmers of the place fear the appearance of some disease, since chips of lead and silver were liberated in the shock of the meteor with the soil

Silver chips from the satellite carrying a space virus?! *cue dramatic music*