US engineer caught on camera poisoning colleague’s water bottle
A California chemical engineer, David Xu, who pleaded no contest to poisoning a colleague, was captured on hidden-camera footage allegedly tampering with her water bottle with a toxic heavy metal, cadmium. Xu, a…
Workplace poisoning cases are rare but not unheard of, and they typically come to light only after a victim falls mysteriously ill and suspects foul play, prompting them to set up covert surveillance as evidence for investigators. Cadmium, the substance reportedly used in this case, is a heavy metal commonly used in industrial processes such as battery manufacturing and electroplating; it is highly toxic even in small doses and can cause kidney damage, bone weakening and other serious health effects with repeated exposure, making it a substance to which chemical engineers and industrial workers may have ready access.
Both Punch and Tribune Online report the same core facts: the suspect, identified as California-based chemical engineer David Xu, pleaded no contest to poisoning a female colleague, and hidden-camera footage allegedly captured him tampering with her water bottle. Neither outlet's headline or dek specifies a motive, the workplace involved, the extent of the colleague's injuries, or the sentence Xu may face, details that are likely to emerge as the case proceeds through the US justice system.