For the past two weeks, Otlotleng Msimango has been seeking closure following the tragic death of her son, Njabulo. He was one of six children who died after consuming snacks from a spaza shop in Naledi, Soweto in mid-October.
On Monday the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, announced that all six children died from a pesticide identified as an organophosphate called Terbufos. But, Msimango says this has left her with more questions.
“On the death certificate, they wrote that the cause of death is under investigation. Now I hear that the children died from a pesticide but I still don’t understand how it got to their chips. I was told that my son died from rat poison,” she says.
The six children who lost their lives were:
Njabulo Msimango (7)
Zinhle Mama (7)
Monica Sathekge (6)
Karabo Rampou (8)
Isago Mabitsela (7)
Other parents, like Joseph Sathekge, the father of 6-year-old Monica, are more accepting. He tells Health-e News he appreciates that officials have been in touch with them through this ordeal.
“This is very painful and hurting for us as families. Whether we accept the report or not will not bring back our children. Ours is to focus on the future. Pointing fingers at this stage will not help us, instead, it will bring more misery to our lives. I have lost an angel, Monica was my last born,” he says.
Sathekge says he is just waiting for a written report so he can close this painful chapter of his life.
In a joint media briefing with the ministers of police, small business development and officials from other institutions, Motsoaledi said the six children were not killed by food poisoning or by a pesticide called carbamates as had been reported earlier.
“The toxicology report has proven that the actual cause of death is organophosphate and not carbamate. We are still waiting to see if the same organophosphate was found in the spaza shops [where the snacks were purchased] so that we can scientifically link the events,” he says.
Motsoaledi says police found a packet of chips in the pocket of one of the children who died. The chips were sent to the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) for analysis, but the results came back negative for the pesticides.
“If we can make a link that the organophosphate found in the bodies of the children has also been found in the spaza shops, the owners will be arrested,” he says.
Motsoaledi believes the spaza shop owners use the organophosphate as a pesticide to kill rats.
“It is also sold to communities for killing rats. This kind of pesticide is not supposed to be found in domestic settings. To use these pesticides you need a special certificate,” he says.
Children at risk of pesticide toxicity
Motsoaledi says various physiological factors make children more susceptible to pesticide toxicity.
“Children have smaller bodies and a given dose of pesticide can have a more severe impact. They are still developing which makes them more vulnerable. Children are affected by acute pesticide poisoning and chronic effects of exposure through ingestion, inhalation and dermal contact,” he says.
Oral ingestion is the most common route for organophosphate toxicity.
Motsoaledi adds that the signs and symptoms of children who come into contact with organophosphate include severe diarrhoea, vomiting, constant urination, foaming in the mouth, and tears readily flowing from the eyes.
“The cause of death happens in the lungs. Which is why it has been reported that some of the children had turned purple. This means that oxygen was not entering the lungs,” he says.
Motsoaledi says the antidote for organophosphate and carbamate poisoning is an intravenous atropine injection. If healthcare workers are faced with cases of organophosphate poisoning, doctors are advised to use Afri Tox.
Four people arrested for selling illegal chemicals
Motsoaledi says last week a group of 80 environmental health practitioners were dispersed to spaza shops in Soweto. They visited 84 spaza shops searching for a chemical that was responsible for the death of the six children.
“The spaza shop owners confessed that people were selling a chemical called Aldicarb,” Motsoaledi says.
Aldicarb is a type of carbamate that is illegal to sell or use by members of the public because of its toxicity. But it is not the cause of the recent deaths of the six children.
Gauteng Police Commissioner LT General Tommy Mthembu says they had an integrated operation which included the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), Gauteng Department of Health and law enforcement on Thursday.
“We found four individuals at a mall in Johannesburg who were arrested and charged with selling, among other things, fertiliser, farm feed, agriculture and stock remedy that are not registered. We took them to Johannesburg Central police station and charged them. The suspects were released because they are not manufacturers of those chemicals. They were fined R2000,” he says.
Spaza shop inspections continuing
Meanwhile, Hardin Ratshisusu, acting commissioner at the National Consumer Commission tells Health-e News that they will continue with the inspections in the spaza shops.
“We look for expired goods and labelling,” he says.
He says spaza shop owners found liable can be fined up to R1 million or 10% of their revenue after they have been prosecuted by the National Consumer Tribunal. – Health-e News
Source:
health-e.org.za
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