Rong Yuan, a woman from California, expressed disappointment in the legal system after her former co-worker, David Xu, received a mild punishment for his actions. Yuan had been struggling with serious health issues for years and even suspected she might have cancer. She discovered the cause of her health problems after using a hidden camera, which showed Xu secretly poisoning her while they worked together at Berkeley Engineering and Research (BEAR).
Yuan released video evidence of Xu contaminating her water bottle with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, from 2017 to 2019. She felt that the consequences faced by Xu were too lenient, especially since he is now seeking to have his felony conviction dismissed.
Yuan began feeling very sick in January 2017, shortly after starting her job at BEAR. She met Xu, a senior materials engineer, who seemed to have a grudge against her from the beginning. Their first encounter was tense, as Xu did not want to share the lab space with her. Yuan decided to focus on her work instead of interacting with him.
Over the following weeks, Yuan experienced troubling health issues, including hair loss and nausea. In July 2017, she recalled feeling extremely ill after drinking from her water bottle. Her health continued to decline, leading to frequent hospital visits, and at one point, she suspected she had stomach cancer. In November 2018, she informed her workplace that she could not come in due to vomiting, and Xu suggested she work from home.
In January 2019, after feeling very ill again from her water bottle, Yuan thought she might die. Her parents came from China to support her during this time. After her mother tasted the water and noticed a strange sour taste, Yuan became suspicious that someone was tampering with it. She decided to buy a spy camera and set it up at her desk.
On February 11, 2019, Yuan caught Xu on video adding a substance to her water bottle. A second video from March 4, 2019, also showed him tampering with her drink. Following these discoveries, an investigation began. Officers tested samples from Yuan’s water bottle, her blood, and her parents’ blood. All samples tested positive for cadmium, with the water bottle containing levels far exceeding the safe limit set by federal standards.
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Source: Bored Panda, by Gabija Saveiskyte