Dubai Police caution public against misuse of pesticides

Over 20 cases of pesticide poisoning took place this year in households as a result of misuse or purchase of unlicensed products, a senior police official said.

According to Dubai Police records, over 20 cases of pesticide poisoning took place this year with five cases leading to death, said Lieutenant Colonel Ahmad Mattar Al Muhairi, Acting Director of Forensic Sciences and Criminology Department of Dubai Police.

He said pesticide poisoning is difficult to diagnose, with some patients facing the possibility of getting discharged from hospital without getting the proper treatment. "Most of the cases that we examined in households revealed that the kind of pesticide used was unauthorised for household use due to its harmful effects or it wasn't used in a proper manner," Al Muhairi said.

He said people tend to purchase pesticides from grocery shops that are not licensed to sell such products. "The products contain certain harmful chemicals that are highly concentrated and when humans get exposed to even a small quantity it leads to poisoning," he said.

Spraying these products not only harms the people within a household, but it could spread to neighbouring houses through the central ventilation as well, he said.

The harmful chemical comes from aluminium phosphide, a colourless and odourless compound.

Al Muhairi said anyone who uses such types of pesticides in cases that result in death will be charged with homicide.

Misuse

He cautioned the public to be wary of certain pesticides that are marked for use outdoors as using it indoors could be fatal, he said. One case this year involved a farmer who stored a pesticide in a honey bottle at home. His son took the bottle and consumed the chemical which he thought was honey.

When using pesticides always be sure to keep the house ventilated by opening the windows, Al Muhairi said.