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The Chilean grape scare was a 1989 incident involving two grapes from Chile allegedly found tainted with cyanide after a threat was supposedly made by phone to the US Embassy in Santiago. No additional contaminated fruit was found, but the United States Food and Drug Administration banned the import of Chilean fruit and warned people not to eat grapes or Chilean fruit [1] despite the fact investigators found no traces of cyanide in any other fruit shipped from Chile to Philadelphia.
The individual who supposedly telephoned the U.S. embassy in Santiago on March 2 told them some Chilean grapes contained cyanide. No individual or group ever claimed responsibility for poisoning the two grapes or making the phone call. Just two grapes were said to have been injected with cyanide and the country's fruit export sector was thrown into panic. Table grapes are the leading Chilean agricultural export to the United States. [2] Thousands of farm workers lost their jobs and the Government was forced to provide temporary subsidies to offset the more than $400 million in losses.
Because cyanide is highly reactive and the fact that a punctured grape decomposes rapidly, it is not possible for a grape to be injected with cyanide (or anything else for that matter) and arrive in the U.S. intact, two to three weeks later. This fact led the GAO (General Accounting Office) to investigate to determine whether the scare was a result of poor laboratory processes. The investigation was inconclusive.
The Military Chilean government, without evidence, blamed the contamination scare on the work of local Marxist extremists. [3] However, a report by Eduardo Engel dismisses the Military Government's accusations of any Marxist sabotage, and instead says that the FDA and US State Department either conspired to harm elements in Chile or the FDA director had an unprecedented over-reaction--which President George H. W. Bush promoted. In either case, Engel concludes the US response was a violation of international trade agreements, and thus Chile was justified in suing the US FDA for more than $200m. The Engel report concludes California competitors did not play a role in what was likely a hoax according to US-based statistical analyses. The Engel report further suggests the George H. W. Bush administration attempted to influence the Chilean election, but does not provide evidence and shifts emphasis instead to free-trade issues and a legal case against the US. [4] Thus, evidence of US economic sabotage is established in Engel, but definitive evidence of a political motive is lacking from the Engel report. The Engel report doubts fumigation prior to shipping for export could have been the source of the trace amounts actually detected, even though some standard fumigation agents in use contained cyanide. [5] Engel concludes there was foul play, while a contemporaneous article suggests a hoax. [6]
The almond is a species of tree from the genus Prunus. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus Amygdalus, distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the shell (endocarp) surrounding the seed.
Amygdalin is a naturally occurring chemical compound found in many plants, most notably in the seeds of apricots, bitter almonds, apples, peaches, cherries and plums, and in the roots of manioc.
In chemistry, cyanide is a chemical compound that contains a C≡N functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom.
Daminozide, also known as aminozide, Alar, Kylar, SADH, B-995, B-nine, and DMASA, is an organic compound which acts as a plant growth regulator. It was produced in the U.S. by the Uniroyal Chemical Company, Inc.,, which registered daminozide for use on fruits intended for human consumption in 1963. It was primarily used on apples until 1989, when the manufacturer voluntarily withdrew it after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed banning it based on concerns about cancer risks to consumers. In addition to apples and ornamental plants, Uniroyal also registered daminozide for use on cherries, peaches, pears, Concord grapes, tomato transplants, and peanut vines.
Zyklon B was the trade name of a cyanide-based pesticide invented in Germany in the early 1920s. It consists of hydrogen cyanide, as well as a cautionary eye irritant and one of several adsorbents such as diatomaceous earth. The product is notorious for its use by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust to murder approximately 1.1 million people in gas chambers installed at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Majdanek, and other extermination camps.
Pisco is a colorless or yellowish-to-amber-colored spirit produced in winemaking regions of Peru and Chile. Made by distilling fermented grape juice into a high-proof spirit, it was developed by 16th-century Spanish settlers as an alternative to orujo, a pomace brandy that was being imported from Spain. It had the advantages of being produced from abundant domestically grown fruit and reducing the volume of alcoholic beverages transported to remote locations.
Bromomethane, commonly known as methyl bromide, is an organobromine compound with formula CH3Br. This colorless, odorless, nonflammable gas is produced both industrially and biologically. It is a recognized ozone-depleting chemical. It was used extensively as a pesticide until being phased out by most countries in the early 2000s. From a chemistry perspective, it is one of the halomethanes.
The Chicago Tylenol murders were a series of poisoning deaths resulting from drug tampering in the Chicago metropolitan area in 1982. The victims consumed Tylenol-branded acetaminophen capsules that had been laced with potassium cyanide. Seven people died in the original poisonings, and there were several more deaths in subsequent copycat crimes.
Chile has a long history in the production of wine, with roots dating back to the 16th century when the Spanish conquistadors introduced Vitis vinifera vines to the region. In the mid-19th century, French wine varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenère, and Cabernet Franc were introduced. During the early 1980s, the Chilean wine industry underwent a renaissance with the introduction of stainless steel fermentation tanks and the use of oak barrels for aging. This led to a rapid growth in exports as quality wine production increased. The number of wineries in Chile rose from 12 in 1995 to over 70 in 2005.
Caiga Quien Caiga, also known as CQC, is an Argentine television show. Under the format of the production company Cuatro Cabezas, CQC has also been adapted in Spain, France, Chile, Italy, Brazil, Portugal and briefly in Israel and the Netherlands.
Torrontés is a white grape variety, mostly produced and known in Argentina, producing fresh, aromatic wines with moderate acidity, smooth texture and mouthfeel as well as distinctive peach and apricot aromas on the nose. Three Torrontés varieties exist in Argentina: Torrontés Riojano, the most common, Torrontés Sanjuanino, and Torrontés Mendocino. It is primarily Torrontés Riojano that has received attention for the quality of its wines, and is the variety used for most Argentine wines simply labeled Torrontés.
Cooperativa Agrícola Pisquera Elqui Limitada (CAPEL), also called Pisco Capel, is one of Chile's biggest spirits company and producer of pisco. Most of its croplands are in the Elqui Valley where the company was founded as a producers cooperative. It is one of the largest producers of Pisco in Chile. Together Pisco Capel and Pisco control produce 90% of Chilean piscos.
Encaprin was a brand of safety-coated aspirin capsules made by Procter & Gamble in the mid-1980s through its Norwich Eaton Pharmaceuticals division. In 1986, the brand was involved in a cyanide poisoning hoax, and its sales never recovered.
Cyanide poisoning is poisoning that results from exposure to any of a number of forms of cyanide. Early symptoms include headache, dizziness, fast heart rate, shortness of breath, and vomiting. This phase may then be followed by seizures, slow heart rate, low blood pressure, loss of consciousness, and cardiac arrest. Onset of symptoms usually occurs within a few minutes. Some survivors have long-term neurological problems.
Agriculture in Chile encompasses a wide range of different activities due to its particular geography, climate, geology and human factors. Historically agriculture is one of the bases of Chile's economy, now agriculture and allied sectors—like forestry, logging and fishing—account only for 4.9% of the GDP as of 2007 and employed 13.6% of the country's labor force. Some major agricultural products of Chile include grapes, apples, onions, wheat, corn, oats, peaches, garlic, asparagus, beans, beef, poultry, wool, fish and timber. Due to its geographical isolation and strict customs policies, Chile is free from diseases such as Mad Cow, fruit fly and Phylloxera, this plus being located in the southern hemisphere and its wide range of agriculture conditions are considered Chile's main comparative advantages. However, the mountainous landscape of Chile limits the extent and intensity of agriculture so that arable land corresponds only to 2.62% of the total territory.
Francisco Javier García Cabeza de Vaca is a Mexican politician affiliated with the PAN, and the Governor of Tamaulipas from 2016 to 2022. García has previously served as a local and federal legislator, having served one term in the Chamber of Deputies and three and a half years in the Senate.
Grape syrup is a condiment made with concentrated grape juice. It is thick and sweet because of its high ratio of sugar to water. Grape syrup is made by boiling grapes, removing their skins, and squeezing them through a sieve to extract the juice. Like other fruit syrups, a common use of grape syrup is as a topping to sweet cakes, such as pancakes or waffles.
Eduardo Engel is the former president and current board member of the think tank Espacio Público and professor at the Department of Economics of the University of Chile. From 2001 to 2012 he was Professor of Economics at the Yale University. He chaired the Presidential Advisory Council on Conflicts of Interest, Influence Peddling, and Corruption – also known as the Engel Commission – in 2015.
Sodium thiosulfate, also spelled sodium thiosulphate, is used as a medication to treat cyanide poisoning, pityriasis versicolor, and to decrease side effects from cisplatin. For cyanide poisoning, it is often used after the medication sodium nitrite and is typically only recommended for severe cases. It is either given by injection into a vein or applied to the skin.
Borgoña (Burgundy) is a traditional Chilean cocktail made with red wine, chopped strawberries, and sugar. It is associated with the country's springtime Fiestas Patrias, as well as with summertime and Christmas.