A chemical engineer working in Berkeley, California, discovered that a colleague, David Xu, had allegedly been poisoning her food and drinking water for a year and a half. After the case came to light, he admitted to one felony poisoning charge as part of a plea deal, but the sentence he received drew sharp criticism.
The ordeal began when the engineer, Rong Yuan, suffered for an extended period from bouts of illness, nausea and vomiting. She noticed unusual tastes and smells in the food and water she left at work, but initially did not know what was behind the symptoms.
Eventually she suspected someone was tampering with her food and drink. She installed a hidden camera in her office, and the footage showed Xu handling her water bottle. Laboratory tests confirmed that the water contained cadmium, a toxic metal that can cause serious health damage.
