Authorities started to withdraw the deadly pesticide aluminum phosphate from 10 distributing companies in Jeddah Tuesday. A Jeddah Mayoralty official said that a committee made up of members of the ministries of Interior, Agriculture, Health and Municipality and Rural Affairs had investigated the selling of the deadly pesticide to the public, which led to 12 deaths in one year in Jeddah alone. The deadly pesticide is believed to have been freely sold in the market for over two years, said Mahmoud Kinsara, deputy mayor for market and services affairs. The Jeddah Mayoralty will host the environment health forum next Saturday with an expected attendance of over 1,000 health and environment specialists from all over the Kingdom, he said. The one-week forum will discuss the role of municipalities in improving the environmental situation of dump sites and the regulations governing the purchase and use of pesticides, he said. This week, the mayoralty hosted 18 pesticide experts to discuss and recommend regulations on combating insects and using pesticides. The mayoralty is closely monitoring pesticide companies after the increase in fatalities due to exposure to deadly pesticides. Two young Danish children died in Jeddah last week after inhaling poisonous pesticide fumes while they were sleeping at their home in Basateen Compound. The deadly pesticide was said to have been sprayed by a licensed cleaning company. Authorities have already banned a number of highly toxic pesticides which had been freely sold in the market.
