The glass of warm tea could not settle his stomach. He felt pain whenever his stomach was touched. He made frequent trips to the bathroom, due to diarrhea and vomiting. He was spitting a milk-colored liquid. Munir took his last breath about nine hours after leaving Singapore for Amsterdam. He died an untimely death at the age of 39.
The Netherlands Forensic Institute, (NFI) which performed an autopsy on Munir's body, discovered a high dose of arsenic: 450 milligrams, four times above the lethal dose for humans. They found 3.1 milligrams per liter in his blood, or 31 times above the normal amount which can be tolerated. In his urine they found 4.8 milligrams per liter or 16 times above the acceptable amount. If measured, the amount of arsenic ingested by Munir is approximately one tablespoonful.
In a second autopsy in Seattle, the forensic lab at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States concluded that the arsenic in Munir's stomach and liver had a potency of three and five.
Arsenic in that dosage, or arsenic trioxide (As2O3) is better known as white arsenic. This substance is sold as fine granules, is odorless and tasteless, and does not alter the taste of the food or drink it is mixed with. This arsenic can be obtained by heating the mineral arsenopyrite into gaseous form, then resolidifying it.
The story goes that an Arab alchemist named Jabir became the first to prepare this powder in the 700s. In Europe, it is known as poudre de succession-the "powder of succession," due to its frequent use in political assassinations. French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was one of its victims. Other literature mentions arsenic often used in murders of revenge. Its victims generally suffered incredible pain while the poison went to work. This is why, on that unfortunate night, Munir suffered extraordinary pain.
The dehydration, dry mouth, and weakness it produces, closely resembles the symptoms of cholera, which was widespread in Europe at that time. Hieronyma Spara, the ruler of Rome during the 7th century, taught young wives a quick recipe on how to become rich widows. Use arsenic to poison your husbands, he said.
According to Fransisca Zakaria, an expert in agricultural chemistry from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), arsenic with a valency of two or three usually comes from anorganic compounds which can be obtained from minerals. The anorganic type is more widely produced than the organic type, because its raw material is found throughout nature and is easily refined. An amount as small as the tip of a fingernail would be enough to kill an adult. Arsenic is a very effective poison because it is quickly absorbed by food, and only requires a liquid which is still warm in order to quickly dissolve.
In small doses, arsenic can be expelled from the body by drinking milk, so that the person who ingests it can vomit. Milk also slows the working of the poison in the body, because protein binds with the arsenic. However, in Munir's case, the high dose rendered the protein ineffective.
The NFI and FBI could not determine how the arsenic entered Munir's body. However, coffee is not suspected, because it was known that Munir did not like it. He suffered from heartburn, and preferred sweetened tea or water.
- I G.G. Maha Adi