a href="/myfiles/Images/2014/03/03/ki26_big.jpg" title="Dr. Walid Fitaihi, CEO of the International Medical Center, joining the campaign to protect against aluminum phosphide and he says, "Prevention is better than cure." " Dr. Walid Fitaihi, CEO of the International Medical Center, joining the campaign to protect against aluminum phosphide and he says, "Prevention is better than cure." Amal Al-Sibai Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — A silent but potent poison can lurk unsuspectingly in your home, creeping up without previous warning, instigating its fast-acting onslaught on the human body, beginning first with the most vulnerable — children. It is lethal but unfortunately it can be easily obtained in the Kingdom and is used by regular people like you and I who are ignorant of its dangers. Those who have witnessed its effects have described it as a deadly ghost. The afflicted person first experiences nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, extreme fatigue, cold extremities, disorientation, and shortness of breath. The initial symptoms are so similar to that of food poisoning that doctors can miss the real cause and misdiagnose the problem. All the while, the patient continues to suffer and the poison, in a baffling short period of time, can eventually kill. Back in 2008, Dr. Omar Atiyyah rushed his sick wife and four children to the hospital, their bodies weak from what appeared to be food poisoning. Within less than six hours, his 3-year-old son and shortly afterward his 7-year old daughter were dead. As Atiyyah was battling shock and grief and trying to remain strong and patient for his wife and two remaining children, a rigorous investigation at the hospital ensued to determine the source of this powerful poison. Results showed that what killed the little boy (Maysarah) and girl (Masarrah) was a pesticide that is banned from use in households. Although commercial sale is illegal in the Kingdom, their neighbor had purchased tablets of aluminum phosphide and had used it in his home. Cheap and effective for killing rodents, aluminum phosphide was banned for public use by the Shoura Council and it can only be sold to certified pesticide applicators, to be used under strict supervision and in distant, non-populated areas. Aluminum phosphide has been banned because it interacts with any source of moisture, such as water vapor in the atmosphere, and generates a lethal gas, phosphine. The gas is colorless but it has a pungent odor, resembling fish or rotten eggs. The gas released by a single tablet of aluminum phosphide is enough to kill a child, and it is this gas that drifted into Atiyyah's home and was inhaled by his precious children. The lives of these two children must not be lost in vain. Their father, with the help of the International Medical Center, reported and complained to authorities, demanded stricter regulations, and harsh penalties for those who broke the laws. The CEO of the International Medical Center, Dr. Walid Fitaihi, widely wrote about the story of these children to warn society and to prevent other innocent lives from falling prey to this pesticide. Thousands of informational booklets about the issue were distributed to the public. Why, six years later, recount the tragic tale of Masarrah and Maysarah? Why relive painful memories? Why open wounds that have just begun to heal? Light must be shed on this dark issue again because it is not over. “In the year 2008, aluminum phosphide poisoning resulted in 25 deaths. Again in 2011, aluminum phosphide claimed more victims, among them, 2-year-old Razan in Jeddah. To this day, several cases of toxicity are still occurring,” said Professor Ahmad Nabil Abo-Khatwah, toxicity specialist at King Abdulaziz University. “A black market exists that deals with such pesticides, selling them at low prices without even instructing the consumer on proper use, all for financial gain. Aluminum phosphide gives off phosphine gas, which can cause severe respiratory infections, heart congestion, and halt the function of the kidneys, liver, and brain,” added Abo-Khatwah. Although municipality officials dispatched more inspection raids, and stricter regulations have been stipulated since the incidence of Masarrah and Maysarah, the implementation is incomplete. Regulations are not strict enough and penalties and fines are futile and weak. Moreover, society still lacks awareness of the dangers of this substance. More needs to be done, more people need to be reached and educated. That is why staff members along with the head of the International Medical Center collaborated with Vizyon, a creative media production company. They produced a short film called ‘Phosphine' that delivers authentic information to the viewer, which enacts the traumatic ordeal of the families whose children died after exposure to this poison. Makers of the film, on tape, show how easy it is to find and purchase a small bottle of aluminum phosphide with no label or instructions on it, even though such individual sales are illegal in the Kingdom. “Our doctors have learned to ask the right questions when patients come in with poisoning symptoms: ‘Was there a smell of bad eggs or fish in the apartment?' or ‘Did you or your neighbors recently use pesticides in the form of grey tablets?' The sooner the problem is identified, the better care the patient will receive, and the higher the chances of recovery. The problem is that there is no known antidote to phosphine gas. Once it has been inhaled, the only chances for a good outcome lie in early arrival and diagnosis at the hospital, excellent supportive care, intensive monitoring, and cardiovascular support,” said Dr. Walid Fitaihi during the premiere of the film at the International Medical Center. As part of the International Medical Center's outreach program, IMC Cares, Phosphine was released on YouTube, to reach a staggering 1,300,000 views on its first day. The main objective of the film is to spread awareness about the misuse of aluminum phosphide and to stop its distribution. Minister of Commerce Tawfiq Al-Rabiah has dedicated a toll-free number to report any store selling this pesticide, at 800-124-1616. The next goal is to circulate the film in schools to target the 5 million school students in the Kingdom, arming them with knowledge that could save their lives.
