Tylenol Murders Of 1982 Research Paper

1532 Words7 Pages

Vaughn Vincent

Mrs. Randolph

English 10

3 October 2017

The Tylenol Murders of 1982

Think about walking into a drugstore to buy pain reliever for muscle pain, and the bottle is laced with potassium cyanide. This became a real-life problem at the end of September and beginning October in the year 1983. The Tylenol Murders of 1982 sparked a giant scare across the United States. The murders happened in the Chicago metropolitan area and spread rapidly throughout the city. Seven people died minutes after taking Extra-Strength Tylenol. The Tylenol was tampered with and laced with potassium cyanide. A man by the name of James Lewis is considered to be the culprit for the numerous amounts of deaths. This event happened a few weeks before the beloved holiday of Halloween. …show more content…

They are used commonly every day. One day in Chicago a young girl was pronounced dead seconds after taking Extra-Strength Tylenol. The Tylenol was laced with a very dangerous drug that could kill anything in a matter of minutes. Tainted capsules were recalled from all over the Country. Ever since 1982, not many people have taken painkillers the same way. One family whose mother was killed by the Tylenol murders, will never take painkillers again. Michelle Rosen, daughter of a Tylenol poisoning victim, is scared to give her children any over the counter medication. As Rosen quoted in an interview with Good Morning America, " No. I do not do over the counter or prescription drugs whatsoever. No. It is definitely a fear"(2). She has instilled the fear of taking tainted medicine in her children, and anyone who listens to her story. Many other families refuse to take painkillers in fear of what might happen. This case was dangerous to the public at large. The murders were an awful event that inspired an important movement to protect over the counter medications. (Sawyer 1-2). Due to a tragic massacre, many people have stopped using