Just in case you were wondering, and we know you were, that mysterious illness that plagued an entire village in southern Peru after it was struck by a meteor last month is being ruled a figment of “mass hysteria.” Which is often what doctors say when they have no idea what’s going on, but in this case, it could actually be true:

Media reports of the number of locals afflicted by a “mysterious disease”—with symptoms such as nausea, headaches and sore throats—after visiting the crater figured in every news article about the Aug. 15 event, with some reporting that as many as 600 people had fallen ill.

But doctors who visited the site told the Associated Press they found no evidence that the crater had actually sickened such a large number of people.

Arsenic is found in the subsoil in that area of Peru and often contaminates the drinking water there, according to Peruvian geologists quoted on Sept. 21 by National Geographic News. Arsenic fumes released from the crater could have sickened locals who went to look, said one geologist who examined the site.

See? It’s only arsenic. Feel better?

‘Meteorite’ Crash Breeds Mass Hysteria [Yahoo!]