Dibba: Tucked away in the tranquility of rocky mountains, off the Dibba-Fujairah road, Al Qareen could be mistaken for a picnic spot.
Other than a freshly painted ‘Do Not Enter' sign in Arabic, there's nothing to remotely suggest that this idyllic location is a killing ground. It's on this landfill where a farmer choked to death and two young Emirati boys suffered near-fatal chemical burns last fortnight.
Khalifa Ali, 11, and Jasem, 13, spent several agonising days in hospital before being flown to Germany on the instructions of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
A landfill expert said the waste chemical that badly burnt the two children and caused the farmer's death may have been sodium hydroxide. Also known as "caustic soda", the highly toxic base chemical is found in industrial solvents, floor-stripping products, drain cleaners, metal polishers and cements.
Caustic soda, also used in the manufacture of fungicides, herbicides, micro-biocides and acid adjustment, is a white powdery substance which the expert said is consistent with its reported damage to human health.
"Depending on the composition, it can be a very strong substance," the expert said on condition of anonymity.
"The lethal effect of its exposure [on living beings] could be instant. It could burn the flesh and peel off the skin."
Which it did. Khalifa and Jasem both suffered 60 per cent burns as they stepped into the area covered with the toxic powder. Outsiders are now prevented from entering the landfill. Besides the "Do Not Enter" sign, a steel chain has been put up at the main gate. Imran, the Asian guard who stands duty here, said more than 70 trucks dump waste into the site daily, adding he is under strict orders not to allow anyone inside except garbage trucks.
He added that his colleague who was on duty when the incidents took place has been fired.
Yet despite the precautions, the place remains accessible to 4X4 vehicles from different sides as there is no perimeter fence.
Residents of the nearby pastoral village of Al Ghub blame air pollution, possibly from the dump site, for breathing problems among children.
The only obstruction that separates the village from Al Qareen landfill, about three-km apart, is a massive cement factory.
Khalifa's uncle, Abdullah Saeed Mohammad Saeed, earlier said residents of Al Ghub are "suffering" possibly due to the toxic dust hovering over their village, especially when winds are strong and blow towards the west.
He said his three children suffer from breathing problems.
Abdullah said authorities should not ignore the incident and demanded warning signs near the site.
With no obstruction or sand dressing, strong winds continue to kick up dust from the landfill, a sprawling site where construction and demolition waste and discarded wood are dumped.
Killer chemical
When inhaled, sodium hydroxide or "caustic soda" could damage airways and lungs, resulting in breathing difficulty, lung inflammation, sneezing and throat swelling.
It may also cause severe pain or burning in the nose, eyes, ears, lips or tongue and even cause loss of vision. When ingested, it damages the oesophagus, intestines and stomach and can severely change the acidity in the blood (too much or too little acid in the blood).
When it comes in direct contact with the skin, it causes burns, irritation and holes in the skin or underlying tissues.
Source: US National Poison Control Centre
