Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi told a media briefing on Monday that while the toxicology reports confirm that organophosphate was responsible for the deaths of the children, authorities are yet to determine whether the substance is present in the spaza shops in Soweto
Toxicology reports on the six children who recently died from food poisoning in Naledi, Soweto, have shown that organophosphate, a chemical found in pesticides, was responsible for their deaths.
The children, who were all aged under 10, died in early October allegedly after eating chips bought from a local spaza shop.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi told a media briefing on Monday that while the toxicology reports confirm that organophosphate was responsible for the deaths of the children, authorities are yet to determine whether the substance is present in the spaza shops in Soweto.
Motsoaledi pointed out that police found a packet of chips in the pocket of one of the deceased boys, but there were no traces of organophosphate in the food.
“At the present moment, samples that were taken via swabs in the various spaza shops in Soweto have been sent to the national health laboratory services, and we are still waiting for the results,” he said.
Organophosphate, which is found in agricultural products and is not a household product, causes irreversible damage. Exposure to the chemical, whether by inhalation, ingestion or through contact can lead to diarrhoea, vomiting, foaming at the mouth, constant urination, leaking eyes and nose, and in severe cases, water in the lungs which leads to lack of oxygen in the body and then death.
The health minister said children were more vulnerable to the effects of organophosphate because of their smaller bodies.
Motsoaledi said the police had arrested four people at “the Johannesburg Mall” last Friday for “selling fertiliser, farm feed, agriculture remedy, stock remedy” allegedly to spaza shop owners in Naledi. They confiscated “1 450 grams of the chemical”.
He said the arrests were made through a joint operation involving the departments of health, agriculture, forestry, fisheries and environment as well as the National Institute for Communicable Diseases and law enforcement.
The four were released on a warning and paid a R 2000 admission of guilt fine because they were found not to be the manufacturers of the chemicals.
Motsoaledi said authorities are still trying to make links between the recent various incidents involving spaza shops, sick children and the roots of the contamination.
In a statement, the department of education said communities and school governing bodies should take note of who was selling food and beverage items on or near school premises, including tuck shops and vendors.
“Parents, guardians and caregivers are urged to be on high alert and to monitor the food items children consume and most importantly to verify the source of such items,” it said.
Eyaaz
mg.co.za
