Reports from the Criminalistics Institute and the Legal Medical Institute (IML) showed that professor Juliana Faustino Bassetto, aged 27, had injuries to her head, kidneys, liver and lungs. The woman died after poisoning after swimming in a pool at the C4 GYM gym, in the East Zone of São Paulo, in February this year.
According to the document, obtained by CNN Brazilthe most serious injuries were found in the lung. In one of the sections, the report points out “incipient fibrinoid necrosis of alveolar septa”.
This type of damage is characterized by cell death with accumulation of proteinaceous material in the walls of the alveoli and indicates an acute inflammatory process compatible with a reaction to cases of intoxication, for example.
In addition to the different injuries, the document also provides analyzes of the pool water and the products found by the police at the scene, days after the incident. “It should be noted that the time lapse between the event and the examinations prevents the conditions observed on the date of the examination from representing the scenario at the time of the incident, since any gases generated at the time tend to disperse over time”, states the report.
The experts listed at least 16 products used to clean the gym’s pool from which samples were collected for analysis. In one of the materials examined, “the presence of substances of different chemical natures were found, including chlorinated compounds and acidic substances, whose eventual interaction, depending on the conditions of contact, concentration and environment, could result in chemical reactions with the possible release of irritating gases”.
However, the report highlights that it was not possible to prove the occurrence of this chemical reaction. Even so, in the technical considerations of the document, the experts state that it is possible to conclude that “in theory, (there was) a scenario of release of irritating gas due to incompatible chemical interactions in the swimming area”.
The technical assessment is that product analysis cannot be considered in isolation, but together. “On the one hand, there were chlorinated species present in the liquid samples and, on the other, a set of products at the site capable of participating in relevant chemical interactions”, highlights the document.
The report points out two hypotheses of what may have happened, based on the material analyzed. The first is that there has been an interaction between chlorine sources and acidic substances; and the second is the mixture of inorganic and organic chlorine.
“From a technical-chemical point of view, the simultaneous presence of chlorinated compounds and acidifying agents constitutes a condition potentially capable, in theory, of the formation of irritating gases, if undue contact between such substances has occurred”, say the experts.
“Nevertheless, such hypotheses do not allow us to establish, with technical certainty, the occurrence of a specific reaction in the specific case, and must be interpreted as well-founded technical possibilities, given the limitations of the tests carried out and the lack of direct characterization of any gas phase”, they add.
In a statement, the São Paulo Public Security Secretariat reported that it is investigating the case through an investigation in the 42nd Police District of Parque São Lucas).
“The investigation seeks to clarify the circumstances of the crime and the participation of those involved. Several people were interviewed throughout the investigation, including victims, witnesses and parties related to the academy”, said the SSP. “The investigation remains ongoing, under the supervision of the Department of Police Inquiries (DIPO), with steps aimed at ensuring due accountability and clarification”, the note ends.
