Meteorite Blamed For Peruvians' Illnesses

Local Official Says Stench From Celestial Body That Crashed To Earth Causing Mass Sickness

(CBS/AP)  A fiery meteorite crashed into southern Peru over the weekend, experts confirmed. But they were still puzzling over claims that it gave off fumes that sickened 200 people.

Local residents told reporters that a fiery ball fell from the sky and smashed into the desolate Andean plain near the Bolivian border Saturday morning.

Jose Mechare, a scientist with Peru's Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Institute, said Wednesday that a geologist had confirmed that it was a "rocky meteorite," based on the fragments analyzed.

He said water in the meteorite's muddy crater boiled for maybe 10 minutes from the heat and could have given off a vapor that sickened people, and scientists were taking water samples.

"We are not completely certain that there was no contamination," Mechare said.

Local resident Marco Limachi said seven police officers who went to investigate the meteorite were among those suffering health problems, reported La Republica. He said the officers had been taken to the Desaguadero Hospital, where they were given oxygen and liquids for re-hydration.

Jorge Lopez, director of the health department in the state where the meteorite crashed, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that 200 people suffered headaches, nausea and respiratory problems caused by "toxic" fumes emanating from the crater, which is some 65 feet wide and 15 feet deep.

But a team of doctors who reached the isolated site said Wednesday they found no evidence the meteorite had sickened people.

Doctors told an Associated Press Television News cameraman at the site that they had found no sign of radioactive contamination among families living nearby. But they said they had taken samples of blood, urine and hair to analyze.

Peasants living near the crater said they had smelled a sulfurous odor for at least an hour after the meteorite struck and that it had provoked upset stomachs and headaches.

But Jose Isisuka, a geologist for the institute who was studying the crater, said he doubted the reports of a sulfurous smell.

Modesto Montoya, a member of the medical team, was quoted by Lima daily El Comercio as saying fear may have provoked psychosomatic ailments.

"When a meteorite falls, it produces horrid sounds when it makes contact with the atmosphere," he told the paper. "It is as if a giant rock is being sanded. Those sounds could have frightened them."

Justina Limache, 74, told El Comercio that when she heard the thunderous roar from the sky, she abandoned her flock of alpacas and ran to her small home with her 8-year-old granddaughter. She said that after the meteorite struck, small rocks rained down on the roof of her house for several minutes and she feared the house was going to collapse.

Meteor expert Ursula Marvin said that if people were sickened, "it wouldn't be the meteorite itself, but the dust it raises."

A meteorite "wouldn't get much gas out of the earth," said Marvin, who has studied the objects since 1961 at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Massachusetts. "It's a very superficial thing."

Three geologists from Peru's Geophysics Institute are expected to report on the incident on Thursday.

Hernando Tavera, a geophysicist at the institute, said similar cases were reported in 2002 and 2004 elsewhere in southern Peru but were never confirmed as meteorites.

[brianbwb-2009]

It is known that methane, and other malodorous and toxic hydrocarbons make up a large part of our solar system''s matter. The atmospheres of the largest planets are essentially methane, which, by the way is what burns if one lights ones f*arts.

[tngreen]

I wonder too if there is something organic or toxic in the ground that was unearthed by the impact...

[rushman71]

They need to give the meteor the name of "Fartolus Crapulium" or in English "Crappy ***"!!!

[rushman71]

Dagnabit!!! Can''t even say the word FARRT!!!!

[apndrgn]

If this sort of thing amuses you. ha ha. I hadn''t thought of methane, as I was following alley oop at comics.com. You will see the story line if you go there. King Guz whips up a potion to destroy the meteor who''s fumes are poisoning moo. It almost looks here like they are taking queue from moo.

[erasmus6]

"I wonder too if there is something organic or toxic in the ground that was unearthed by the impact..." Posted by tngreen at 01:03 PM : Sep 18, 2007

I agree.

[webwork]

Did someone check for radioactivity?

[gerryrigger]

The CDC better investigate this, and before we earthlings just laugh it off as a piece of *** from outer space, the scientific community had better examine the remnants while they''re still fresh. Could it be that what''s making people ill is an alien microbe or substanc? Is this how life got here?

[lochlan-2009]

How do they know it was a meteorite and not something else? A spectrometer would tell you immediately what chemicals are there.

[one_american]

Frozen human waste jettisoned from the Space Station.

Those darned Russians.

[bkylws]

lochlan - But what if it''s not a substance previously know to man?

One_American - Did you get that off of the movie Joe Dirt?

[rudy654-2009]

Bush did it!!
Posted by usmcvn at 02:32 PM : Sep 18, 2007

Before I even clicked on this story, I knew that some idiot, dufus troll was going to post it, just for the heck of it. And there you are, true to form. Must be nice to have all day to post crapola. I bet you have fun writing on the walls in public toilets.

[mitywhity]

I guess I am a suffering Star Wars, Star Trek, Space 1999, Battlestar Galactica and even...gulp...Buck Rogers in the 21st Century fan. But I want to know how this story pans out! What is it and what is happening to those people? You don''t think it''s one of Sadaam''s WMDs do you?

[jowand]

Rumor is that the word Halliburton has been found on one side of it. It was addressed to *** Durbin, missed by a few miles. Goverment of Peru says this is an illegal undocumented meteorite and will be sent back to where it came from

[toft_lulz]

Honestly? None of the people who wrote this or proofread it know the difference between an "impact sight" and an "impact site"?

[tnt1954]

reminds me of the movie-andromeda strain.
came out in 1972. under 50 wouldn''t be hep to it.
so many generation gaps. language barriers.
science barriers. we were raised under a totally
different set of scientific principles than they
are today.