Authorities in Germany launched a probe Wednesday into a string of 21 deaths over nearly two decades after the arrest of a man suspected of trying to poison a co-worker’s sandwich.

　　在逮捕了一名涉嫌试图往同事的三明治里下毒的男子后，德国相关部门周三对过去近20年21人的死因展开了调查。

　　The 56-year-old man, named only as Klaus O, was detained back in May after surveillance video showed him opening a colleague’s lunchbox and putting a suspicious powder inside, German tabloid Bild reported.

　　德国小报《图片报》报道，这名56岁的男子名为Klaus O，他于5月份被逮捕了。监控视频显示，他打开一名同事的饭盒，随后倒入可疑粉末。

　　"In the beginning we thought it was a misconceived prank between co-workers, and not a murder attempt," Tilo Blechinger, the manager for the metal fittings manufacturer ARI Armaturen, told the DPA news agency.

　　金属配件生产商ARI Armaturen经理Tilo Blechinge向德意志新闻社透露：“刚开始，我们以为这是同事之间的一个恶作剧，而非蓄意谋杀。”

　　Bielefeld police said the powder contained lead acetate "in amounts that would have been sufficient to cause serious organ damage," and a search of the suspect’s home uncovered further additional dangerous substances.

　　比勒费尔德警方表示，该粉末含有一定量的醋酸铅，足够造成器官严重损坏，随后对该嫌疑人屋子展开的搜索也让他们发现了更多的危险物质。

　　The 21 deaths since 2000, which were all employees at the company the man worked for, included a "remarkably high number of heart attacks and cancers," according to police.

　　据警方透露，该男子上班的公司2000年以来共有21名员工死亡，多数死于心脏病和癌症。

　　Three other workers at the company are also believed to have fallen ill from heavy metal poisoning.

　　据信，该公司另有三名员工也因重金属中毒生病了。

　　One employee has been in a coma for two years, according The Times of London.

　　据伦敦《泰晤士报》报道，一名员工昏迷已有两年。

　　A man who worked with the suspect for 30 years told Bild his kidneys failed suddenly three months ago, and he is unable to drink more a few ounces of liquid a day without suffering severe cramps.

　　一名与该嫌疑人共事30年的男子向《图片报》透露，他的双肾三个月前突然衰竭了，他现在一天连几盎司的酒都喝不了了，每天肌肉抽筋。

　　“Doctors could not explain why I got so sick,” the man, identified as Udo B, told Bild.

　　这名名为Udo B的男子向《图片报》说道：“医生们无法解释我生病的原因。”

　　The 56-year-old man said Klaus O was a close colleague but he didn’t know anything about him.

　　这名56岁的男子表示，Klaus O是他亲密的同事，但是他对他一点都不了解。

　　“He always stayed by himself, did not speak and had no friends," the man said.

　　他说道：“他总是一个人待着，不说话，没朋友。”

　　A spokeswoman for the Poison Information Center at the University of Bonn told Bild it was a “very unusual case," and that lead poisoning is difficult to detect due to symptoms that might be caused by other conditions.

　　波恩大学毒药信息中心的一名女发言人向《图片报》表示，这起案件不同寻常，铅中毒难以监测，因为症状可能是由其他疾病引起的。

　　Authorities are considering exhuming the bodies to determine the presence of metal, according to Deutsche Welle.

　　德国之声报道，相关部门正在考虑挖出尸体确定是否存在金属中毒。