Five arrested in girl’s pesticide death in Sharjah

Five arrested in girl’s pesticide death in Sharjah Afkar Abdullah / 4 July 2013 The Sharjah Police have arrested five persons in connection with the death of an 11-year-old Iraqi girl and hospitalisation of her mother and brother and another family in the latest pesticide poisoning case. Medical reports said that the medical tests of the patients and the proof gathered from the apartments in a building where these families live reveal that the cause was the inhalation of an illegal aluminium phosphide brand called Phostoxin. While the girl’s mother is still in the hospital, an Emirati family living on the 12 th floor of the same building is currently under medical observation. The police have not given details of the arrested suspects though they confirmed that the watchman of the building had arranged the pesticide tablets from his acquaintances for a tenant who placed them in different corners of his flat on the 12 th floor of the building on June 27 evening. On June 29 evening, a woman and her 11-year-old daughter, Farah Ebrahim, were admitted in the ICU of Al Qasimi Hospital in a critical condition. Doctors first suspected that it was a case of food poisoning but upon medical examination, the cases were diagnosed as toxic chemical poisoning. The Sharjah Police received a phone call the next day, reporting that a family was brought to the hospital suffering from acute symptoms of poisoning. Farah died on Monday morning due to heart failure. Dr Saqer Al Mualla, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Head of Plastic Surgery, Al Qasimi Hospital, said the mother and her daughter were first hospitalised with symptoms such as stomach pain on June 28. The mother was released on her own will but she returned with her family members to the hospital the very next day in a worsened health condition. “In case of a pesticide poisoning, the situation is unpredictable and it could result in heart failure as the muscle cells die and cause weakening of heart functioning, and kidneys and lungs could be the last organs affected. The girl died due to heart failure on Monday morning. The woman is still in coma while all other family members are well but under continuous observation,” said Dr Al Mualla. “This pesticide is usually imported from Asian countries like India, Pakistan and China. They are in the form of tablets and are used to eradicate insects.” Based on what was mentioned by the hospital, the police launched an investigation into the circumstances leading to the incident. Management’s fault A team of senior police officers, forensic experts and general health inspector Yaser Bakhet of the Sharjah Municipality went to the family’s flat. The team smelt a strong odour emanating from the apartment. Colonel Dr Sami Al Halyan of the Forensic Department suspected a chemical used illegally as a pesticide behind the odour. This was confirmed by the findings of Dr Moutisim Ibrahim Suleyman Al Qasim, poison and toxic expert with the Sharjah Police. After inspecting the scene and questioning the watchman and management officials of the building, and a number of government officials from departments responsible for residential affairs, the police found out that the pesticide was sprayed not on the 11 th floor where the family lived but on the 12 th floor. Watchman supplies tablets The Indian tenant of an apartment on the 12 th floor said his family had been fighting insects for a long time. Both he and the building’s watchman told the police that the building’s management was contacted and the tenant was advised to deal with the pests himself despite the fact that the management of each building is supposed to have arrangements with an authorised pest control company to protect tenants. The tenant enquired with the watchman about the possible ways for purchasing pesticides. Finally, the watchman offered to get him the required pesticide, which he bought from acquaintances. The sellers, with full knowledge of the extent of the pesticide’s toxicity, sold it to the watchman for Dh75 and the watchman sold the same to the tenant for Dh200. How it happened Findings of Lieutenant Ahmed Al Hamadi, Head of the Print and Publishing Department at the Sharjah Police, and Dr Moutisim Al Qasim, said the inexperienced tenant treated his apartment with the pesticides on June 27, placing two tablets in each room to get rid of the insects. However, the police and forensic team found 18 to 20 tablets of the banned aluminium phosphide brand in the flat. The poison from the tablets reached the apartment of the Iraqi family on the 11 th floor in the form of gas — as aluminium phosphide turns into phosphane gas when it comes in contact with humidity in four hours — through the ventilation pipes and an exhaust hole located in the kitchen. Phosphane is a colourless, flammable and toxic gas. Lieutenant Al Hamadi said: “This toxic pesticide has approximately six to seven commercial names. In this case, we identified it through its typical chemical formula that defines it as a toxic pesticide. This pesticide, once turns into the gaseous form, is uncontrollable. For example, the use of two-three tablets is enough to eradicate all insects and five tonnes of grains.” An Emirati family living on the 12 th floor was also affected and they are currently under medical observation. Al Hamadi stated: “Pesticide companies is controlled by the municipality under strict regulations. Toxic pesticides which are not legal are not supposed to be used by these companies. “Our investigations are currently focusing on the ventilation system in the building to ascertain whether it is possible to evacuate people through the units if needed.” Open doors, 
go out The Sharjah Police have called on residents to immediately open doors in case of such an incident, come out to an open area rich in oxygen and call the paramedics and police immediately on 999. Additionally, providing the police with any information which would save people, especially children who are prone to being affected the most, will be greatly appreciated. afkarali@khaleejtimes.com     Taylor Scott International