Monday, March 14, 2005
Health dep't: Pesticide poisoned Bohol school children (7:15 p.m.)
PESTICIDE in cassava sweets poisoned more than 100 grade school students in Bohol, the Department of Health (DOH) revealed Monday.
Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit said the results of laboratory examinations conducted by the University of the Philippines-Poison Management and Control Center showed that "carbamate" poisoning killed 28 children and caused vomiting and diarrhea spells to 77 others recuperating in three hospitals in Bohol.
"Based on the examination, the cause of death of children was diarrhea and dehydration secondary to pesticide and also possibly secondary to an infectious agent," Dayrit said.
Carbamate has the ability to bind cholinesterase for six hours with no permanent damage. It affects the central nervous system but it could be treated with atropine antidote.
While the DOH has already pinpointed pesticide poisoning as the cause, Dayrit said there are other factors that might have aggravated the situation and resulted in the death of the children.
"Chronic exposure to pesticides", which is present in the environment in Mabini, Bohol, was noted, Dayrit said.
"The overall picture here is you have a highly contaminated environment and pesticides and bacteria in the same place where the food was prepared, halo-halo yung (mixing of) food and pesticides, and these may have infectious agents," he added.
He said of the 49 grade school pupils tested, 82 percent of those who ate a local snack food called "maruya" suffered diarrhea while 62 percent of those who did not eat the same food also got diarrhea. (Sunnex Luzon/Marie S. Neri)
(March 14, 2005 issue)
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