VIENNA, Austria - Dioxin poisoning caused the mysterious illness of Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko, a doctor said Saturday, adding that the poison could have been put in his soup.
Ukrainian former Prime Minister and presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko, with his face disfigured by illness, speaks to the media during a news conference in Kiev, in this Friday, Nov. 19, 2004 photo. Experts trying to figure out why Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko fell seriously ill during the country's presidential campaign are testing a number of poisoning theories but have no conclusive evidence he was poisoned, doctors have said. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) |
Yushchenko was in satisfactory condition and his dioxin levels have returned to normal, Dr. Michael Zimpfer, director of Vienna's private Rudolfinerhaus clinic, said at a news conference.
"There is no doubt about the fact that Mr. Yushchenko's disease has been caused by a case of poisoning by dioxin," Zimpfer said.
The 50-year-old opposition leader first fell ill in September and was rushed to the Vienna hospital. He resumed campaigning later in the month but his mysterious illness had left his face pockmarked and ashen.
Yushchenko also suffered back pain, acute pancreatitis and nerve paralysis on the left side of his face.
He has accused Ukrainian authorities of trying to poison him ahead of Ukraine's presidential vote — an allegation they have denied.
"We suspect involvement of an external party, but we cannot answer as to who cooked what or who was with him while he ate," Zimpfer said, adding that tests showed the dioxin was taken orally.
Yushchenko's supporters — camped out in Independence Square in Kiev — expressed little surprise Saturday over the revelation that he was poisoned.
"Everybody knew he was poisoned so we didn't really need official tests," Anatoly Klotchyk, 19, who stood in the sleet outside his tent near the square.
A former representative for rival candidate Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych on the Central Election Commission, Stepan Havrysh, questioned the statement, saying that while he felt sorry for Yushchenko, "I'm afraid, two weeks before the vote, it's all political technologies."
Zimpfer said Yushchenko's blood and tissue registered concentrations of dioxin — one of the most toxic chemicals — that were 1,000 times above normal levels.
"It would be quite easy to administer this amount in a soup," Zimpfer said.
Tests run over the past 24 hours provided conclusive evidence of the poisoning, Zimpfer said.
When first seen by the Austrian doctors, Yushchenko was in a "critical stage" but was "not on the verge of dying," Zimpfer said.
"If this dose had been higher, it may have caused death," Zimpfer said.
Dioxin — one of the contaminants found in Agent Orange — is formed as a by-product from industrial processes such as waste incineration, chemical and pesticide manufacturing and pulp and paper bleaching.
Exposure to the toxin can lead to chloracne — a type of adult acne that Zimpfer has said can take a long time to clear.
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note: Dioxins are NOT normal! |
Dioxins are a normal contaminant in many foods, but a single high dose can trigger illness, London-based toxicologist John Henry said last month.
Shortly after the announcement of the diagnosis on Saturday, Henry told British Broadcasting Corp. television that Yushchenko's case was, in his experience, unique.
"We've never had a case like this, a known case of large, severe dioxin poisoning ... It's normally fairly mild. It can cause liver damage," he said. "It's usually low-level, long-term poisoning. A very large dose, nobody has any real idea of what it would cause. Now we do know."
Yushchenko had returned to the hospital later in September for further treatment and checked in for a third time Friday.
Dr. Nikolai Korpan said "no functional damage will remain."
Citing fraud, Ukraine's Supreme Court voided the outcome of the Nov. 21 runoff vote, which Yushchenko lost to Yanukovych. A rerun of the ballot is slated for Dec. 26.
Arriving at the hospital Saturday afternoon, Yushchenko's wife Kateryna Chumachenko said she was convinced from the start that her husband was poisoned.
"We had received threats before it happened, and we continued to receive threats because I think there are many people who consider my husband and the changes he would bring to Ukraine a threat to them personally," she said.
Yushchenko arrived at the hospital in a convoy of three cars, surrounded by bodyguards.
"Everything is going well. I plan to live for a long time and I plan to live happily. I am getting better health every day," said Yushchenko, wearing a scarf in his orange campaign color.
Earlier in the race, Yushchenko had refused to let doctors take biopsies of his facial tissue and reportedly said he did not want to have his face bandaged while campaigning.
Going to Austria provided him an opportunity to determine conclusively what happened, said Markian Bilynskyj, a Kiev-based analyst.
He noted that Yushchenko made a point of telling reporters that he was going to receive treatment in Austria — not the mark of a candidate trying to hide his illness.
"He can afford to miss a couple of days," he said. "The critical stages were before the first and the second round (of elections). Should he become president, he would have to dispel any doubts of his health."
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