Two more children have fallen victim to the pesticides their mother used in the home apparently to get rid of the cockroaches and other insects. The lingering toxic fumes from the pesticide resulted in the tragic death of Raghd (5 years) and her brother Sabir (3 years) in a private hospital here, Tuesday. The children were rushed to the hospital when they complained about difficulty in breathing after inhaling the toxic fumes in their house in Al-Sahifa District in southern Jeddah. The incident is the 16th in a series of fatal incidents occurring in Jeddah due to the toxic gases from pesticides that should only be used in open areas such as farms and gardens. In the latest case, hospital authorities said the two children died of toxemia “blood poisoning” as result of inhaling aluminum phosphate gas emitted from a pesticide. Dr. Sami Badawood, Director of Jeddah Health Affairs, said five more of the same family were rushed to hospital suffering from vomiting, difficulty in breathing and severe chest pain. They were later discharged after first aid. Zahra, mother of the dead children, said she bought the pesticide from a grocery near her house. Authorities this week started seizing pesticides harmful to human beings from grocery stores and shops in various districts of the city. The drive started after two children died from toxic fumes from the pesticides in their home on Jan. 20. Acting based on similar incidents, the Ministry of Health has previously asked other government authorities concerned to ban this type of pesticide from grocery stores, Badawood said. Similar six deaths were reported last year: a Sudanese couple, two Egyptian children, and two Yemeni children fell victim to pesticides.
