When envisioning a chemical weapon for use in a murder plot, there are several criteria that should be considered: 1) the chemical must be lethal, of course, 2) it should be readily available to the villain in the story, 3) it must be easy to use but not easily detectable to the victim, and 4) it should be unique enough to “wow” your reader.
Methyl bromide meets all of those standards. Acute exposure to methyl bromide, usually by inhalation, causes serious neurological effects in humans and can be a lethal neurotoxin in the proper doses. Symptoms of exposure include headaches, dizziness, weakness, confusion, speech and visual impairments, as well as numbness and twitching. The chemical is irritating to the eyes and mucous membranes. It can cause itching, redness and blisters upon contact with skin.
In short, the effects are dramatic enough to create an interesting murder scene. Sudden exposure of sufficient quantities can cause muscle paralysis and convulsions that lead to death. Acute exposure might even produce a delayed effect.
The second criteria—that the poison should be readily available—is an interesting story in itself and that ties into the final criteria of being unique and creative. Methyl bromide is a very effective fumigant and pesticide used in soil and food storage facilities (in mills, ships, freight cars and warehouses) to control fungi, nematodes, weeds, insects and rodents.
An interesting dichotomy is that methyl bromide was banned from use in the United States in 1987 because of its ozone-depleting capacity and its harmful effects on human life, yet the chemical is readily available to this day for use in the agricultural industry under controlled conditions. Applications for continued use can be submitted to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and presently the agency is accepting applications for 2018.
Applications are approved via a “Critical Use Exemption” from the agency. The list of critical uses includes post-harvest rice milling, pet food manufacturing, as well as storage of walnuts, dried fruit and dry cured pork products. Significant users of methyl bromide are the California strawberry growers and that fact provides a ready source of the poison for the creative writer. California nurseries that grow strawberry plants for later transplantation elsewhere often fumigate their soils with methyl bromide to control fungi and insect infestations.
I found it fascinating that the strawberry plants initially grown at these nurseries can later be moved to organic fields and be produced under organic certifications. That fact alone should make for a captivating side story to a murder plot.
Lastly, methyl bromide fits the criteria of not being easily detectable to the intended victim. The poison is a colorless and highly volatile gas. It’s almost odorless, producing only a faint, sweet chloroform-like smell at higher concentrations. Methyl bromide can be lethal by inhalation in a closed environment.
In March of 2015, a family of four on vacation at a resort in the US Virgin Islands became seriously ill and had to be hospitalized following inhalation exposure to methyl bromide that was used to fumigate the vacation villa beneath theirs. The family was unaware that they were being poisoned since they detected nothing unusual until they experienced symptoms.
Methyl bromide is an appealing poison choice for a murder mystery. It’s an unusual lethal weapon that can be used in unique ways to murder and it provides the opportunity for an engaging backstory for your characters.
Thoughts? Comments? I’d love to hear them!