On the afternoon of July 29, 2016, a 23-year-old college student named Felix stood in the break room of the industrial manufacturing company where he worked in Northwestern Germany. He poured cereal into a bowl, took his carton of lactose-free milk from the communal fridge, and sat down at a table with two of his coworkers, Otto and Klaus, both in their 50s.
Felix, an engineering student working as a machine mechanic during his breaks, was one of the youngest employees. He often found it difficult to relate to his older colleagues. As he sat down, Otto and Klaus continued eating their sandwiches silently, barely acknowledging him.
The silence was deafening. Felix, feeling like an outsider, finally broke the quiet. “Hey guys, how’s the day going?”
Klaus simply shrugged and returned to his sandwich. Otto, after a pause and a grimace, said, “You know what? I’m not having a good day. My head hurts, my stomach hurts, I feel tired, I feel kind of awful.”
Felix offered a brief apology, and the three men resumed their silent meal. After finishing his cereal, Felix left the awkward break room.
Minutes later, back at his workstation, Felix experienced an intense stomach cramp. He was lactose intolerant, so he initially thought he’d accidentally grabbed regular milk. However, upon checking the fridge, he found only his lactose-free milk.
Nauseated, Felix informed his supervisor he needed to go home. He rushed to his car, sped home, and barely made it to the bathroom before vomiting.
Afterward, he felt a little better. But as he dried his face, he noticed a strange tingling sensation in his fingertips. His hands were going numb. Flexing his fingers did nothing to alleviate the numbness.
Alarmed, Felix called his mother. Stomach cramps and nausea were common for him, but this numbness was something new.
Two weeks later, Felix was still sick. His doctor, suspecting overwork, prescribed vitamins and rest. However, his symptoms worsened. The tingling had spread up his forearms, and he was constantly nauseous.
Determined to have a normal day, Felix tried to get out of bed, but he lost his balance and nearly fell. His legs seemed unresponsive. He collapsed and had to crawl back to bed, where he called his mother for help.
At the hospital, a neurologist examined Felix, asking about drug use, family medical history, and recent injuries. All answers were negative. The neurologist noted his numbness and tested his reflexes. She concluded that his nervous system, likely his brain or spinal cord, was inflamed, possibly due to an infection or autoimmune reaction. She admitted Felix for further testing.
Six days later, the neurologist found Felix in terrible condition. His body was limp, his face swollen, and his eyes glazed. Imaging scans revealed inflammation in his brain and brain stem, but all infection tests were negative. The neurologist suspected an autoimmune reaction, but this was difficult to confirm and treat.
She administered anti-inflammatory medication, but it had no effect. Concerned about permanent brain damage or death, she asked Felix how he felt. He mumbled, “Metal mouth,” and “Taste water.” She realized he had a metallic taste and wanted water.
When he tried to drink, the water dribbled down his chin. The neurologist felt helpless, realizing she needed a new approach. She transferred Felix to a university hospital.
The specialists at the university hospital were equally baffled. Felix now had kidney and liver failure, ruling out an autoimmune condition. Further infection tests were negative. They could only manage his symptoms and hope for improvement.
By September 2016, Felix was unconscious and barely clinging to life. One doctor, refusing to give up, began researching rare medical conditions. He found a case with identical symptoms: stomach cramps, nausea, tingling, loss of coordination, brain swelling, metallic taste, and kidney/liver failure.
The diagnosis was not an infection or autoimmune disease, but an extremely rare condition, only recorded three times in the past century. A simple blood test confirmed the diagnosis.
The doctor was horrified. The diagnosis was a death sentence, and potentially, others were in danger. He contacted Felix’s family and law enforcement.
An investigation began. Everyone Felix knew was interviewed, and forensic technicians searched his frequented locations. They were looking for a specific substance.
By the end of September, Felix was in a vegetative state. The investigation slowed down, as no other victims appeared.
Two years later, strange things began happening at Felix’s former workplace. Otto, who had complained of feeling unwell during lunch with Felix, was now experiencing kidney failure and required dialysis. Another employee, 26-year-old Elias, had severe stomach cramps.
Elias discovered a strange powder on his sandwich during lunch in May 2018 and called the police. This discovery led to a search of Klaus’s home.
In the basement, police found a makeshift laboratory filled with deadly chemicals. Klaus had been poisoning his coworkers’ lunches.
Felix’s rare disease was acute mercury poisoning. Klaus had put mercury in his cereal. He also poisoned Elias with lead and Otto with lead and cadmium.
Klaus was sentenced to life in prison in March 2019. Felix, after three years in a vegetative state, passed away ten months later. Elias and Otto continue to suffer from the long-term effects of chemical poisoning.