Tragic deaths of children: How spaza shop food can be contaminated by pesticides

The sixth child who ate snacks bought at a spaza shop in Naledi, Soweto, passed away on Sunday while people were attending the funeral of his friends. However, although the incident was blamed on food poisoning, it might not have been the case.

According to an expert, who cannot be named because he is not allowed to speak to the media, spaza shops often sell pesticides, such as aldicarb, also known as two-step, in small packets that the owners make up themselves from containers of pesticides.

They also buy snacks, such as chips, in bulk and make up smaller packets to sell at their shops. However, they do not adhere to safety standards and handle the pesticides and the snacks without the necessary precautions to prevent contamination.

ALSO READ: Joburg blames the ‘lack of resources’ in five children’s deaths

Health inspectors’ role limited when it comes to pesticides

However, when health inspectors find these pesticides sold at spaza shops, they are not allowed to remove them. The best they can do is notify the local police who must then come and remove it. Health inspectors can be arrested if they remove it and it is found in their possession.

Katlego Oliphant (7) was the sixth child that died, after a week in intensive care, Johannesburg member of the mayoral committee for health and social development, Ennie Makhafola, confirmed on Monday. Katlego’s friends, Zinhle Masilela (8), Isago Mabote (8), Monica Sathege (9), Karabo Rampou (9) and Njabulo Msimango (7) died last Sunday soon after buying chips from a local spaza shop.

Makhafola also said last week that the spaza shop where they bought the chips was inspected in August and complied with all the regulations.

ALSO READ: Worried about food poisoning? This is what you should know

Difference between food poisoning and poisoned food

But Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, an expert on poisons and operations and stewardship manager at CropLife, says it is important to distinguish between food poisoning and poisoned food. “Food poisoning in common terms is related to food infected by bacteria, which cause severe nausea and vomiting, but seldom leads to death.”

The most common bacteria are Salmonella and Clostridium botulinum. Verdoorn says you will start displaying symptoms between two and four hours after eating “bad” food. Listeriosis is different as it is a potentially lethal bacterium and can kill people, but it also does not trigger symptoms immediately.

He says poisoned food, on the other hand, is completely different. “Poisoned food is food that became contaminated or was deliberately laced with a typical pesticide that is unfortunately freely available in South Africa and sold as unregistered (illegal) pesticides, including the carbamate aldicarb (black granules) and the organophosphates terbufos (dark brown to dark grey granules), methamidophos (very pungent yellowish liquid with a high viscosity) and dichlorvos (pale yellowish liquid with a feint odour and is volatile).”

ALSO READ: Food safety: Here’s how to ensure what you eat isn’t contaminated

The difference is also clear in the onset of symptoms, which is very rapid, as victims display symptoms within three to 15 minutes. Verdoorn says the symptoms include nausea and vomiting and the victim’s pupils become constricted, except if the poisoning is due to terbufos, that only causes mild pupil constriction.

“The degree of nausea and vomiting is not as severe as bacterial food poisoning but the pesticide chemicals are all neurotoxins that affect the patient’s ability to breathe normally, causing asphyxiation and very often results in patients dying within one to four hours after ingesting the toxic food.“

He says other symptoms include muscle tremors, spasms, shivering, an increased pulse rate, headaches and severe visual impairment.

ALSO READ: ‘This feels like a curse’ – Emotions run high at memorial for Naledi food poisoning victims

Patient’s eyes will show if pesticides were in food

“I always ask the person who calls me about a suspected poisoning to check the patient’s pupils and if they are constricted, it indicates poisoning by an organophosphate or carbamate.”

Verdoorn says poisons such as organophosphates end up in the food spaza shops sell when open foodstuffs which are not in the proper or original packaging is sold on the same shelf as the illegal pesticides.

In these cases, the pesticides can easily contaminate the foodstuffs if a packet or spray bottle with an illegal pesticide leaks or spills. “Sometimes, like in the Gqeberha case where three children died after eating noodles contaminated with terbufos, it is strongly suspected that someone with a criminal mind cut a small opening in the food packet and introduced the illegal pesticide.

“In people’s homes, the adults who buy illegal pesticides leave it unattended which results in children and even adults mistaking it for pepper and using it on their food.”

ALSO READ: ‘It is not enough to grieve’: MEC vows action after deaths of children in Naledi

Local clinics not equipped to deal with poisoning

Another problem is that local clinics are not equipped to deal with patients who have consumed poisoned food. Verdoorn says clinics often do not have the atropine sulphate antidote needed and even if they do, the treatment will not be effective by the time the patients arrive at the clinic because their central nervous systems have collapsed already.

“Doctors and nurses do their best with what they have, but in many cases it is too late for the patients.”

ALSO READ: Are your instant noodles still safe to eat?

Consumer Goods and Services Council not investigating children’s deaths

Meanwhile, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi promised a “thorough investigation” when he spoke at the funeral and said he asked the Consumer Goods and Services Council (CGCSA) to help with the investigation into the children’s deaths.

However, when asked for comment, the council said this is not the case. “CGCSA wishes to advise that it is not involved in the investigation of food poisoning as this is within the purview of the relevant regulatory authorities.

“CGCSA does not involve itself with investigations related to such matters as its mandate is solely policy and regulatory advocacy for its members. However, CGCSA has partnered with local authorities, as well as law enforcement, to raise awareness about what to look out for in terms of counterfeit and illicit products.”

The CGCSA said it is also piloting the MyCGCSA APP with police in Gauteng to help identify legitimately manufactured and owned products and enable the reporting of illicit products.