Next, as with any similar incident, human imagination ran wild, spawning rumors that grew more exaggerated as they spread, ultimately straying far from the truth; enemies of the consortium and their cronies fueled the fire with propaganda, exploiting dark psychology and hostility. Nervousness grew under the combined force of these two factors, eventually turning into full-blown panic.
Of course, even so, the situation hadn't yet deteriorated completely, provided the authorities and hospitals issued statements proving the leaked chemicals were not highly toxic, that it was all just an accident... But, unfortunately, that was not possible. The consortium, "in order to protect trade secrets, couldn't disclose" what the leaked chemicals were or why their mixture was so dangerously toxic, and naturally, the authorities and hospitals couldn't draw any conclusions, much less issue any statements.
