In September 1982, seven people in Chicago died after taking Tylenol capsules. Tylenol was the leading pain medication in the United States at the time. It was reported that an unknown suspect put 65 milligrams of deadly cyanide into Tylenol capsules. It was assumed that the adulteration took place once the product reached the shelves. They were removed from the shelves, infected with cyanide, and put back on the shelves (Mitchell 1989). In 1982, Tylenol controlled 37 percent of its market with sales of approximately $1.2 million. Immediately after the cyanide poisonings, its market share was reduced to seven percent (Mitchell 1989). However, the crisis hurt the company, but their response was quickly active, they spoke directly to the media. Tylenol implemented Mill's ethics and used utilitarian criticism to deal with fear. Before the crisis began, Tylenol was the main pain reliever. It was Johnson & Johnson's best-selling brand and accounted for most of the company's revenue. In the fall of 1982, the unknown person released the contaminated packages and dropped them off at pharmacies and grocery stores in the Chicago area. This selfish act ended up harming many people and companies' profits. I don't understand how a person can be so malicious and deliberately cause harm to others. This situation scared many people and the company took quick action to alert the public. A Chicago Sun-Times reporter, Lewis Lazare, reported that “a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson issued an immediate nationwide product recall, which amounted to approximately 31 million bottles. and a loss of more than $100 million. Johnson and Johnson being faced with this ho...... middle of paper ...... with integrity. " St. Petersburg Times December 7, 1982: 30-31. Web. February 8, 2011. .Lazarus, Lewis "The crisis triggered a brilliant public relations response." Chicago Sun-Times, September 1982. Print. Mitchell, Mark Economic Inquiry, 4th Edition, Vol. 27. Huntington Beach: Western Economic Association International, 1989. 601-16, “Tylenol Crisis Communications Case Study.” BCMpedia. (BCM) and Disaster Recovery (DR). Web, February 8, 2011. .Reyna, Susi. and Crisis Management "The Interactive Media Lab at the University of Florida. 2002. Web. February 8.. 2011. .