Health Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. File Picture: Dept of Health
Dangerous pesticides are responsible for the death of six children in Naledi, Soweto, according to Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi.
“As you may remember, we informed you that samples were taken during post-mortems and sent for toxicology analysis. We are here today to inform you of the findings of our toxicologists. The results show that the cause of death is unequivocally organophosphate.
“When we mentioned to you that we are chasing a chemical, we had actually at that time believed it is organophosphate. We were simply taking this from the symptoms and it so happened that we were actually right.
“Organophosphate is not one substance, but a group of substances which are usually used in agriculture or as pesticides. The organophosphate identified in this instance is called terbufos. All the six children died of terbufos ingestion.”
In the past weeks, several chemicals were bandied around as possible causes of death, and Motsoaledi said some of the chemicals were found during raids at the spaza shops in Soweto.
Chemicals known as carbamates, which are also used as a pesticide were once suspected to be behind the tragedy. Organophosphates are more lethal and can cause “irreversible damage”.
“Sometime last week, there was a statement that indicated carbamates as the cause of death. This was from post-mortem observations, just observations, but toxicology has proven that the actual cause of death is organophosphate and not carbamate as it might have been initially thought,” said Motsoaledi.
Motsoaledi said tests were done at the spaza shops around Soweto and the results are being awaited to establish if there is a link between the spaza shops and the toxin which killed the children.
However, a packet of chips found in the pocket of one of the children who died has been tested and the results have proven that it had no trace of organophosphates which killed the children.
Four people were arrested last week at a Joburg mall for possession of a chemical called aldicarb - which is not the organophosphate which killed the Soweto children.
The arrest of the four followed tip-offs given to authorities by spaza shop owners, that the four people were the ones supplying them with illegal pesticides.
However, the aldicarb is a carbamate and has been ruled out as the toxin behind the children’s deaths.
Last week, IOL reported that different State departments and agencies in South Africa have concluded that, following a “careful analysis”, the country is dealing with a chemical agent that could be behind a series of food poisoning incidents that has rocked the country.
A team of experts was then deployed to identify this chemical agent as a matter of urgency.
IOL