Expert Warns Against Using Dangerous Chemicals in Homes Following Death of Naledi Children

• A toxicologist has warned South Africans against keeping dangerous chemicals in their homes
• This was after Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi revealed a pesticide caused the deaths of the children from Naledi in Soweto
• The expert warned people not to keep toxic products such as galephirimi in their homes to keep their children safe

Tebogo Mokwena, a dedicated Briefly News current affairs journalist, contributed coverage of international and local social issues like health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests and heritage in South Africa during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

JOHANNESBURG — Toxicologist Dr Gerhard Verdoorn said it was dangerous for South Africans to keep hazardous chemicals such as pesticides in their homes.

Stop keeping dangerous chemicals: expert

According to TimesLIVE, Versdoon spoke after the Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi revealed that the children who died in Naledi in Soweto recently were not killed by food poisoning. He said they were killed by a pesticide.

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Vardoorn said that galephirimi, known as aldicarb, is a lethal and available chemical that is deadly. He also said Terbufos, the same chemical found in the Naledi victims, claimed many lives in the past. Ge noted that three children who died from eating instant noodles in 2021 had ingested Terfubos.

Verdoon also revealed that, according to a study, Terbufos was responsible for over 50% of the deaths caused by pesticides in Cape Town between 2010 and 2019. Verdoorn said that the local vendors he interviewed revealed that they bought aldicarb from foreign nationals and placed it near food people ate. He believes that the food may have been contaminated because the aldicarb was placed in unsecured packets.

Situation is out of control

Verdoorn also said that the situation is out of control. He referred to the rise in cases where children died from symptoms related to food poisoning. He called for an investigation into the unnatural deaths and said he was puzzled why an inquest docket had not been opened to investigate these deaths.

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Pregnant KwaZulu-Natal learner falls ill after eating chips, South Africans reeling

Pregnant teenager rushed to hospital

In a related article, Briefly News reported that a pregnant high school learner and six of her classmates were rushed to hospital.

The classmates bought chips from a spaza shop on their way to school when they experienced symptoms relating to food poisoning.

Source: Briefly News