So far it has worked for the 0157 strain of E.coli, which causes some of the most severe cases of food poisoning - occasionally proving fatal if the victim is an infant, elderly or already weak.

BBC: Speedy 'burger bug' test

Apart from disfiguring the skin, after two decades arsenic poisoning has a high risk of causing fatal cancer in the lungs, liver, bladder and kidneys.

ECONOMIST: Scientists have offered a solution to the arsenic wells

In hard-hit Kansas, there were at least six storm-related deaths: two siblings who died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator, three people in fatal vehicle accidents and an elderly woman who died of hypothermia sweeping snow off her steps, Gov. Sam Brownback said.

CNN: Drawn-out snowstorm lingers in Maine, New Hampshire