Livermore investigators found that Ramirez's body contained a high concentration of the harmless compound dimethyl sulfone. Its presence may be explained, they felt, by the use of DMSO, a common folk remedy for ailments such as cancer pain. With two oxygen atoms added, dimethyl sulfone becomes dimethyl sulfate, an enormously deadly chemical. Livermore offered the theory that such a reaction had occurred within Ramirez's body, and so the source of the mystery fumes had been identified.
Most scientific authorities call the Livermore hypothesis impossible.
Dimethyl sulfate causes eyes to tear, does not take effect immediately upon exposure, and would most likely cause death, none of which was true of the alleged Ramirez toxin. Furthermore, proper conditions for dimethyl sulfone to gain two oxygen atoms do not exist in the human body. And the Ramirez family denied that she had ever used DMSO at all. Given the lack of a physical explanation and the inconsistent reactions of those present, stress and anxiety were judged the true source of the spontaneous afflictions. This mass hysteria could have been triggered by an incidental odor in the environment, such as cleaning chemicals or smelling salts.