UAE warn against use of banned pesticides

An increasing number of suffocations due to pesticide spraying in homes has prompted the Dubai Municipality today to warn against the use of banned chemicals.The most recent incidents involved ten people who were poisoned by the banned substance aluminium phosphide at a jewellery store in Deira last month. This followed the death in April of a nine-year-old boy whose family was convinced that pesticides sprayed in a neighbour's flat had killed him. However, police have dismissed chemical poisoning or pesticides as the cause of death in that case. "Consumers buy aluminium phosphide, usually in the form of grey tablets, from unlicensed or unqualified individuals to sell or circulate," said Hisham Abdul Rahman Al-Yahya, the municipality's head of pest control. "It is packed in cheap plastic bags with no warning labels on them." Municipal officials said the lack of awareness among residents who "smuggle the pesticides illegally from outside the country" is to blame for the hazards. "We're trying to track down these people that are still using them and we meet with suppliers who give us a list of the quantities they sell," said Motahar Hossain, a pest management specialist at the municipality. "This is not for domestic use because if inhaled, it can kill people." He said he was unaware as to how the products entered the UAE illegally, as the suppliers' lists showed they were only sold to professionals.from the national .