THE RUDOLF REPORT

GERMAR RUDOLF · THE RUDOLF REPORTThe bright red coloration of the blood and bruised spots, caused byover-saturation of the blood with oxygen, since the blood can no longergive off its oxygen to the cells, are generally considered, among otherthings, symptomatic of hydrogen cyanide poisoning in fatal cases. 17,415-417 Testimonies describing a blue or green coloration of the victims aretherefore false. 418Absorption through the skin is especially likely when the skin hasbecome moist, for example, as a result of sweating at work. It is generallyadvised to avoid sweating during the handling of hydrogen cyanide.In this regard, concentrations from 6,000 ppm 419 (0.6 % by volume)constitute a health hazard, while 10,000 ppm (1% by volume)can cause death in just a few minutes. 420Table 8 shows the effects of various concentrations of hydrogencyanide, found in the literature. 421Table 8: Effect of various concentrations of hydrogen cyanidein air upon human beings2 to 5 ppm: Perceptible odor10 ppm: Maximum permissible work site concentration, acc. to German law20 to 40 ppm: Slight symptoms after a few hours45 to 54 ppm: Tolerable for ½ to 1 hour without significant or delayed effect100 to 200 ppm: Lethal within ½ to 1 hour300 ppm: Rapidly fatalF. Flury and F. Zernik indicate that 200 ppm can be fatal withinfive to ten minutes, while 270 ppm are immediately fatal. 420 These arenot, of course, the results of experiments on human beings, but ratherextrapolations, in which lower risk thresholds have been determined on415 W. Wirth, C. Gloxhuber, Toxikologie, Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart 1985, pp. 159f.416 W. Forth, D. Henschler, W. Rummel, Allgemeine und spezielle Pharmakologie und Toxikologie,Wissenschaftsverlag, Mannheim 1987, pp. 751f.417 H.-H. Wellhöner, Allgemeine und systematische Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, SpringerVerlag, Berlin 1988, pp. 445f.418 This is why Michal Kula’s statement about the color of gassing victims—“I saw then that theywere greenish”, proves that he never saw what he claims he did, see p. 131.419 ppm stands for ‘parts per million’; here, 1 ppm HCN corresponds to 1 ml HCN per m 3(1,000,000 ml) of air.420 F. Flury, F. Zernik, Schädliche Gase, Dämpfe, Nebel, Rauch- und Staubarten, Berlin 1931, p.405; see also M. Daunderer, Klinische Toxikologie, 30 th suppl. delivery 10/87, ecomed,Landsberg 1987, pp. 4ff.; considering the age of the first source as well as the vast amount ofliterature quoted in chapter 5.2.2., Pressac’s claim on page 147 of his first book (note 67) thatthe lethal dose was not known is completely false. It was also already a known fact in thosedays that HCN could be absorbed via the skin.421 DuPont, Hydrogen Cyanide, Wilmington, Delaware 7/83, pp. 5f.192