A group of 12 workers from the Sharjah
Industrial Area 12 has been admitted to Al Qasimi Hospital after exposed
to a toxic pesticide similar to the one that caused the recent death of
the two-year-old Habiba, hospital administrators have said.
The Pakistani and Bangladeshi workers turned up at the hospital on Sunday with symptoms of poisoning including severe vomiting and stomach pain.
The hospital authorities dealt with the case in an emergency manner, said Dr Khalid Khalfan bin Sabt Al Ali, deputy technical director of Al Qasimi Hospital.
“All the affected were working for the same company and were residing in Sharjah Industrial Area 12,” he said.
“They all complained that there was a strong smell of some chemical in their room but couldn’t identify where it emanated from. However, later one of the workers turned up with some capsules, which he said he got from an adjacent room.”
Examination of the capsules and the tests on the workers revealed that they had been exposed to toxic chemical similar to the one which recently claimed the life of a two-year-old girl and left her brother in critical condition, he said. The capsules were of aluminium phosphide which is illegal to be used as a pesticide in the UAE.
Al Ali said that they had informed the police and the municipality and asked them to investigate into the matter as soon as they got these tests.
Three of the patients were admitted in Al Qasimi Hospital while nine others were transferred to the Kuwaiti Hospital because of technical reasons, he said, adding that they were monitoring the situation of the patients and recommended that all of them stay in the hospital for 48 hours.
He also urged the authorities to immediately intervene in the pesticide market to halt the spread of such unauthorised toxic materials. Once used in a room, the toxic gas can easily affect the neighbours by spreading through openings like windows or air conditioner holes, he warned.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com
The Pakistani and Bangladeshi workers turned up at the hospital on Sunday with symptoms of poisoning including severe vomiting and stomach pain.
The hospital authorities dealt with the case in an emergency manner, said Dr Khalid Khalfan bin Sabt Al Ali, deputy technical director of Al Qasimi Hospital.
“All the affected were working for the same company and were residing in Sharjah Industrial Area 12,” he said.
“They all complained that there was a strong smell of some chemical in their room but couldn’t identify where it emanated from. However, later one of the workers turned up with some capsules, which he said he got from an adjacent room.”
Examination of the capsules and the tests on the workers revealed that they had been exposed to toxic chemical similar to the one which recently claimed the life of a two-year-old girl and left her brother in critical condition, he said. The capsules were of aluminium phosphide which is illegal to be used as a pesticide in the UAE.
Al Ali said that they had informed the police and the municipality and asked them to investigate into the matter as soon as they got these tests.
Three of the patients were admitted in Al Qasimi Hospital while nine others were transferred to the Kuwaiti Hospital because of technical reasons, he said, adding that they were monitoring the situation of the patients and recommended that all of them stay in the hospital for 48 hours.
He also urged the authorities to immediately intervene in the pesticide market to halt the spread of such unauthorised toxic materials. Once used in a room, the toxic gas can easily affect the neighbours by spreading through openings like windows or air conditioner holes, he warned.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com
