A Berkeley chemical engineer, Rong Yuan, revealed she was repeatedly poisoned at work beginning in 2017 after years of unexplained illness; a small camera she placed at her desk captured co-worker David Xu pouring a substance into her water bottle. Laboratory testing identified the contaminant as cadmium, with one sample reportedly containing levels about 3.5 million times the federal safety threshold. Yuan and her parents tested positive for cadmium, likely due to shared use of the tainted water for cooking. Xu was charged with premeditated attempted murder in 2019; a 2023 plea agreement reduced the case to a felony poisoning conviction, resulting in two years’ probation and minimal restitution.
On October 12, 2026, a judge granted Xu’s petition to expunge his felony conviction over objections from Alameda County prosecutors and the victims. Yuan, speaking publicly for the first time, described lasting health problems that limit her to part-time work, emotional and family harm - including her father’s later death - and anger that Xu received what she called an undeserved second chance. She requested $500,000 in restitution but received $7,000. The district attorney’s office confirmed it opposed the dismissal and said it hopes survivors can continue healing, while Yuan continues to question the court’s decision to clear her former co-worker’s record.
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