When was the big Tylenol scare?
| Chicago Tylenol murders | |
|---|---|
| Location | Chicago metropolitan area, United States |
| Date | September–October 1982 |
| Target | Retail consumers |
| Attack type | Poisoning, mass murder |
How long did the Tylenol murders last?
Seven people died over a three-day span from Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 1982, all collapsing suddenly after ingesting an Extra-Strength Tylenol pill. One of several that were found during an investigation to have been laced with a beyond fatal amount of potassium cyanide.
How did Tylenol handle the crisis?
What set apart Johnson & Johnson’s handling of the crisis from others? It placed consumers first by recalling 31 million bottles of Tylenol capsules from store shelves and offering replacement product in the safer tablet form free of charge.
How did Johnson & Johnson react to the Tylenol incident in 1982?
By withdrawing all Tylenol, even though there was little chance of discovering more cyanide laced tablets; Johnson & Johnson showed that they were not willing to take a risk with the public’s safety, even if it cost the company millions of dollars.
How many people died from the Tylenol killer?
7
Chicago Tylenol murders/Number of deaths
The origins of tamper-resistant packaging — exasperating yet reassuring — lie in a deadly episode in 1982, when cyanide-laced Tylenol killed seven people.
Who laced Tylenol with cyanide?
It was then that Mary Kellerman, a 12-year-old girl from Elk Grove Village, a suburb of Chicago, told her mother and father about her symptoms. They gave her one extra-strength Tylenol capsule that, unbeknownst to them, was laced with the highly poisonous potassium cyanide.
Why did Tylenol get recalled?
J&J had been sitting on complaints about the smell since 2008. January 2010 — Expanded recall of Tylenol and other brands due to mildew odor, which led to a Jan. 15, FDA warning letter over lousy manufacturing safeguards at McNeil’s Tylenol plant.
Who died in the Tylenol murders?
On September 29, 1982, 12-year-old Mary Kellerman of Chicago, Illinois, suddenly passed away after consuming an Extra-Strength Tylenol capsule. Later that day, in a neighboring Chicago suburb, a man named Adam Janus also mysteriously died after taking the same medication.
What are the chances of dying from Tylenol?
With aggressive supportive care and antidotal therapy, the mortality rate associated with acetaminophen hepatotoxicity is less than 2%. If correctly treated in a timely manner, most patients do not suffer significant sequelae; patients who survive are expected to have return of normal hepatic function.