The powder in the basement: how an unlabeled poison inspired federal legislative change

Abstract

The Oregon State Hospital, first established in 1862 as the Oregon Insane Asylum, was a state funded mental health institution that provided care and housing for a large and diverse patient population. In December 1941, the United States formally entered World War II. As wartime production and demands increased over the course of 1941 and into 1942, resources became more limited and budgets tightened. On the evening of November 18, 1942 hundreds of patient suddenly fell ill and dozens died. Initially it was unclear if this was an accident, a mass murder, or an act of sabotage related to the war effort. The investigation revealed that the casualties fell victim to a mass poisoning. Over the next months to years, there would be new State and Federal laws intended to prevent something like this from ever happening again.

Keywords:

• History
• fluoride
• Oregon State Hospital
• FIFRA
• pesticide

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Theresa Rea, MLIS, CA and the Oregon State Archives for materials and resources regarding the poisoning event and the subsequent legislative changes that followed for the State of Oregon. Thanks as well to the law librarians of the Library of Congress for further assistance in collecting the materials regarding the congressional hearings and subsequent passage of the federal law. Acknowledgements also to Ryan Fernandez and The Oregonian for permission to use the newspaper photographs; to Howard Baumann, MD and the Oregon State Hospital Museum of Mental Health for further historical resources; to Laura Heathcock of the Oregon State Police Central Records Section; and to the many local Oregon librarians who assisted obtaining microfiche of the newspaper articles detailing the events that unfolded from 1942 to 1947.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).