[manicdee]

> If it were a lab leak, there are probably a handful of eyewitnesses.

Not at all. The chances are that if it was a lab leak the people involved had no idea the leak happened at all. That's how lab leaks work: people make mistakes and inadvertently leak stuff from the lab. eg: Karen Wetterhahn vs lead

What you're talking about is a deliberate release from a lab, which would have eyewitnesses because they know what is happening and see it happening and can corroborate the reports of other witnesses. eg: Thomas Midgley Jr vs lead

[areoform]

In Dr. Wetterhahn's case, it wasn't a leak and it wasn't lead. It was a spill that was contained properly and she followed all known procedures at the time. But it wasn't known at the time that dimethylmercury could penetrate through the gloves in less than 15 seconds. The estimated amount she absorbed through her gloves was roughly 0.089 teaspoons or 0.44ml (less than a drop) of dimethylmercury.

That was enough to kill her. No one else was exposed.

If she had prioritized herself over cleaning up, she may have survived.