Chapter Forty
Sarah very quietly makes her way down the aisle in front of the rest of the Arizona Tribune reporters seated in their row, while Baker questions his expert witness on poppers. Apparently, Dr. Richard Haley had been involved in some of the research Mr. Yeager mentioned in the late 1970’s.
“And what did you discover about the toxic effects of amyl nitrites?”
“From my own research, I can tell you that the toxic effects of amyl nitrite inhalation – or butyl nitrite or isobutyl nitrite – include rapid flushing of the face, pulsation in the head, cyanosis, confusion, vertigo, motor unrest, weakness, yellow vision, hypotension, soft thready pulse, and fainting.”
“Can people die from inhaling these nitrites?”
“There's no question about it. Accidental prolonged inhalation of amyl nitrite has resulted in death from respiratory failure. Fatalities have occurred in workers exposed to organic nitrites. Nitrite causes a loss of tone of the vascular bed and pooling and trapping of blood in the veins of the lower extremities, resulting in marked arteriolar constriction and the induction of anoxemia in vital tissues, causing death. And the use of volatile nitrites to enhance sexual performance and pleasure can result in syncope and death by cardiovascular collapse.”
“What about the effect of poppers on a person's immune system?”
“I didn't necessarily do all these tests myself, you understand, but studies, both in vitro and in vivo, have shown that poppers definitely do damage the immune system. Investigation has found that the main change is in the natural killer cell activity, which drops very sharply – those are the T cells that fight disease. The conclusion was that exposure to amyl nitrite can induce changes in immune function and cause immune deficiency, even after short exposure to moderate doses.”
Sarah made her way out of the Special Proceedings courtroom and into the cafeteria. She gets a cup of coffee, sits down at a table in a corner, away from the few other patrons, and takes out her cell phone.
“Sam? It's Sarah…. Yes, I'm fine. Have you got a minute?… No, the trial is still going on. Right now the new attorney, John Baker, is questioning an expert witness about nitrites…. Gene's taking notes for me. Look, Sam, there's something important I want to talk to you about…. Thanks. Who's our best feature writer?… I have what I think will be a very important interview I want them to do, and then write a story for tomorrow's paper…. No, it's no one like that. It's me, Sam…. Me. I want them to interview me. Sam, I didn't realize it until today, but this trial is all about me – me and the 300,000 other sisters and brothers and mothers and fathers and friends and loved ones of the victims who died. But our stories are all the same, and I'm finally ready to tell mine. Who knows, maybe it will help heal the pain for others as well…. Sam, it's pretty clear now that they died from taking AZT…. No, not from HIV, from AZT, and there's a lot of people out there just like me who are feeling the loss and the guilt all over again…. Well, I think many of us knew something was wrong, even twenty years ago, but we pushed those feelings aside and believed what we were told. We're just now finding out how badly we were lied to…. Yes, and you can't imagine the guilt of knowing that you were part of that lie – part of the pressure that led them to take AZT…. Sam, I just want to tell my story. Trust me on this one.... I think it'll be powerful.... And yes, sell lots of newspapers…. Just ask, what’s her name…Erin. Ask Erin to meet me at my office at four this afternoon for the interview…. Thanks, Sam.”
Sarah folds up her cell phone, takes a sip of coffee, and sees from the silent TV monitors that Baker has finished with Dr. Haley. She tosses the rest of her coffee in the trash and heads back to the courtroom to catch the next witness.
Wrongful Death: The AIDS Trial Page 51
