Death by Salad Bars (and Terrorism)

 The year is 1984. On a quiet Sunday morning in Wasco County, Oregon, two Wasco County sheriffs have breakfast at Taco Time. Big mistake. Not even 6 hours later, both would be hospitalized in the ICU with severe symptoms such as abdominal chills, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. In the following days, more than 750 Wasco residents will have reported the same symptoms, later determined as Salmonella. The culprit? The Rajneesh political party, a very unpopular candidate for the Wasco county elections. 

3 years before the incident, Rajneesh, who had started a cult for ‘sexual liberation and enlightenment’ back in Pune, India, came to America with his followers to spread his beliefs, hoping to gain political power. He chose Wasco, Oregon as it seemed like an easy place to grow his influence. His followers moved to an abandoned ranch on the outskirts of the county and tried to convince the residents to vote for Rajneesh in the upcoming elections, but the residents were adamant that Rajneesh leave because he was taking over their land. It was clear that the only way Rajneesh could win was if the residents weren’t able to vote. And thus, an idea was born. 

From a medical supply lab in Seattle, Washington, Rajneesh ordered Salmonella bacteria and created a makeshift lab in the ranch to grow it. A week before polling stations opened, several followers of Rajneesh snuck into various restaurants carrying a plastic bag of light brown liquid containing salmonella, and poured it into the restaurant’s salad dressing containers. The police were able to catch and arrest the various perpetrators, but in further investigations found that the next target of Rajneesh was the water supply of major cities. 

This event served as the single largest bioterrorism attack in U.S. History. After reading about what cesium 137 had done to innocent Brazilian children, I wondered if any biological agents had been weaponized; and although bioterrorism is rare, it definitely exists.