The terrible three-month story of Yushchenko's poisoning has come to an end. It has been established that Yushchenko was attempted to be poisoned.

The head of the Austrian clinic "Rudolfinerhaus," Michael Zimpfer, announced the completion of the research at a press conference.

"In the last 24 hours we completed work on the blood tests and we have no doubts left. It is unequivocally a case of attempted poisoning with dioxins," said Zimpfer.

According to him, the clinic's doctors approached the answer to this question "with great caution."

At the same time, the doctor emphasized that Yushchenko could not have died from this poisoning. "It was a serious illness, but not fatal. However, if timely measures had not been taken, everything could have ended tragically," said Zimpfer.

Zimpfer said that in Yushchenko's blood and tissues a dioxin concentration 1,000 times higher than normal was recorded.

"It is absolutely not difficult to put such an amount into soup that contains cream or sour cream. I say this based on the fat content level," said Zimpfer, adding that tests showed the dioxin entered Yushchenko orally, that is, through the oral cavity.

Now the dioxin level has been returned to normal. Zimpfer said that Yushchenko's poisoning was probably "intentional."

"Criminal investigation does not fall within our competence, but there are suspicions of third-party involvement," said Zimpfer.

As Dr. Mykola Korpan explained, blood had previously been taken from Yushchenko for analysis, however this time the clinic sent samples to a hospital in Amsterdam, where a new analytical method for dioxin testing is used.

Korpan added that in order for the diagnosis to be objective, the "Rudolfinerhaus" clinic cooperated with England, France, and Germany in studying the analyses.

Korpan emphasized that Yushchenko is currently fully able to work and needs only therapy "that can be conducted on an outpatient basis."

To the question of when the poisoning was committed, Zimpfer answered that Yushchenko first came to the clinic on September 10 of this year and the poisoning evidently occurred five days before that "or during that period of time."

As reported by Our Ukraine deputy Oleksandr Tretyakov, who is in Vienna, the clinic's specialists "sent Yushchenko's blood analysis to various countries and came to the same conclusion — that it was poisoning."

"They are absolutely certain that it was dioxin poisoning, the dioxin content was less than one milligram," noted Tretyakov, adding that the main symptoms of dioxin poisoning are "damage to the skin and internal organs of the body."

He also recalled that at the onset of the illness, Yushchenko's liver, in particular, was enlarged "12 times."

According to Tretyakov, at the press conference in Vienna, besides Zimpfer and Yushchenko's doctor in Vienna Mykola Korpan, "Austria's two foremost specialists in liver and blood" were also present, meaning the conclusions were made with the involvement of specialists from other clinics, not only "Rudolfinerhaus."

According to Tretyakov, citing the doctors, Yushchenko's life is currently not in danger, and in the near future he intends to return to Ukraine.

"The doctors said that his life is not in danger at the moment, the organs have more or less returned to order, a slight enlargement of the liver," reported Tretyakov, noting that the treatment of the skin on Yushchenko's face "will continue for quite a long time."

"But inpatient treatment is not needed for this, and with proper nutrition, with proper treatment, after a long period of time the face will return to normal. But something will remain, of course," said Tretyakov.

The analyses showed that Yushchenko got chloracne — this is a type of adult acne that is explained by the manifestation of toxic chemical elements. To cure them takes two to three years, said Hubert Pehamberger, a dermatologist at "Rudolfinerhaus."

Based on materials from RIA Novosti, Interfax-Ukraine, Associated Press

For reference. Dioxins are a large group of chlorinated hydrocarbons. Colorless crystals with a melting point of 750-1000 degrees Celsius, insoluble in water. Their special feature is their ability to bioaccumulate, that is, to accumulate in the body. Chemically very inert. They are very stable compounds with a very long half-life.

Dioxins, which can be called "environmental dirt," are by-products formed during the synthesis of certain herbicides, in the production of cellulose, in electrolytic processes for obtaining nickel and magnesium, steel and copper casting, remelting of iron scrap, as well as in aluminum production, and also in oil refining processes, during the burning of chlorine-containing compounds, burning of automobile oil and gasoline, garbage, etc. They pollute the environment.

All dioxins are highly toxic, and the "leader" of this group — 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin — in toxicity surpasses such poisons as hydrocyanic acid, strychnine, curare, yielding only to botulinum, tetanus, and diphtheria toxins.

Its maximum permissible concentration is 10 to the minus 12th power of a gram (0.0000000000001 g!) per kilogram of substance or liter of liquid.

The calculated lethal dose of dioxin for a human is 70 µg/kg of body weight.

As a result of human contact with dioxins due to industrial emissions, contamination of food products, or industrial accidents, in addition to skin manifestations, digestive disorders, fibrosis of the liver and pancreas, phenomena of progressive atherosclerosis, immune disorders, dysfunction of the thyroid and other hormonal systems are observed.

Dioxin poisoning causes headaches, loss of hearing, taste sensations and smell, vision impairment, weakness in the lower limbs, pain in muscles and joints, as well as sleep disturbances, depression, attacks of unmotivated anger, and even reproductive dysfunction.

Long-term effects of dioxin poisoning include, first of all, the risk of developing oncological diseases — liver cancer, thyroid cancer, prostate cancer, Hodgkin's disease (a type of blood cancer). There is a disruption of the endocrine glands, which leads to metabolic disorders. In recent years, reports have appeared that dioxins can cause accelerated aging of the body.

Anyone can simply determine whether the polymer material from which packaging or a children's toy is made contains chlorine. To do this, it is enough to take a copper wire, strip one end of it and wrap it with the "tested" polymer: if during burning a greenish coloration of the flame is observed, then you are dealing with a polymer containing chlorine. And therefore, it is "dioxin-dangerous."

(According to the publication "Dioxins and Humans," educational series "Ecology and Health")

* * *

Orange was used against Yushchenko

Specialists rule out accidental poisoning of Viktor Yushchenko with dioxin.

This was reported in an interview with the BBC by toxicologist John Henry from St. Mary's Hospital in London.

"Of course, Yushchenko could have been in a place where dioxin was in the atmosphere. But among his entourage who travel with Yushchenko, no one else had signs of poisoning," explained John Henry. "And therefore, it is very likely that his poisoning was targeted. I don't want to say more because this information is politically sensitive."

The professor said that in medical practice there have been no similar precedents, since doctors have so far dealt with moderate cases of dioxin poisoning.

In small doses, this highly toxic poison acts, as a rule, on the liver and can cause cancer and other long-term disorders.

"One journalist sent me a photograph of Mr. Yushchenko by email. And I told him immediately that it must be dioxin. Nothing else can cause such changes in such a short period of time," said the London professor.

An indicative and main symptom, as toxicologist John Henry said, is the strong effect of the poison not only on internal organs but also on the skin. And this manifests not immediately, but somewhat later.

To the question of where this substance is used, John Henry said that there are known precedents of its use during military operations: "Such powerful toxic substances were used as defoliants. Agent Orange was used during the war in Vietnam, but besides this, dioxin is an industrial chemical, it is also part of pesticides. But gradually it was removed from industrial and agricultural use due to its potentially high toxicity."

According to AP, Agent Orange is the most toxic to humans among dioxins. It was precisely it that caused health problems in American veterans and village residents after the Vietnam War.

The consequences — cancer of various organs, damage to the immune system, liver problems.

Chloracne is the most common form of lesion that constantly accompanies infection in humans. They may disappear after the effect of the poison ends, or they may remain for a long time. But this does not affect the state of health.

Dioxin in large doses also disrupts liver function, causes its enlargement, and an increase in blood fat levels. These consequences are short-term.

According to Yushchenko's doctors, the dioxin level in Yushchenko's liver has now returned to normal.

Dioxin poisoning also increases the risk of diabetes.

"Ukrainska Pravda"