On 20 Aug 2003 05:19:17 GMT, Brian Sandle
posted:

Mooshie peas wrote:


This reminds me of the story I read long time ago of the aerial crop
duster who thoroughly cleaned his tanks and filled up with water
flavoured with dark grape juice (toxically purple). He then
deliberately oversprayed a residential area, and the influx of
diseased and dying residents was overwhelming

I have had breathing troubles from some brands of grape juice. Some of
them use a sulphur compound as preservative.

SO2, but this will oxidise and dissipate on being sprayed.

To make water purple with grape juice would take quite a lot, and
breathing such is not normal, and might provide a medium for bacteria to
grow, too.

They weren't breathing it, it just landed as droplets on the
environment. I don't even know if this is true or just an urban myth.

Yes nocebo(?) effects can occur, as with Pavlov's dogs, but escape or
constriction gets attached to certain signals.

And I think you will find some people suffering and bearing it rather than
be called susceptible to psychogenic factors. The website Brian Harmer
referred to links to results of a big study which includes trouble with
animlas, too, greater than what I would say could be transferred in
sympathy with their owners worries.

Thanks for "nocebo" I'd not heard it before. Useful!