Dubai: Pest control experts have warned the public never to use a deadly fumigant inside homes following the death of an Indian man.
Specialists say pellets that release phosphine gas do not just kill people in the same room, but can even pass through walls and pose a threat to people in neighbouring homes.
As reported in Gulf News this month, K. Nawaz Ahmad, a 29-year-old bakery helper, died after his roommates left phosphine-containing tablets in his Dubai bedroom to get rid of pests.
Dr Alan Dickson, managing partner of Dubai-based Ridapest Pest Control, said people were easily tempted to use phosphine to destroy cockroaches or bed bugs.
However, he said, the chemical should only be used by experts and could easily prove fatal if not used properly.
Only licensed agents can sell phosphine, and pest controllers have to pass tests before they can use it, but Dickson said supplies were brought in without permission on dhows from India and Pakistan, where it is commonly used.
"It should never be used round the house under no circumstances whatsoever. This is the third fatality of this type in the past five years here and it's tragic when people die for no reason," he said.
He said phosphine is not to be confused with phosgene, a deadly gas at room temperature which was widely used during the First World War.
Phosphine is used to fumigate tobacco and foodstuffs such as dates, rice and grain that can become infested with weevils, a type of beetle.
The dark grey pellets that contain phosphine which go under brand names such as Quickphos leave behind a light grey powder when they degrade.
"People who use phosphine not only risk themselves but also their neighbours. If someone is sleeping on the other side of a wall where pellets have been put down, they can die because the gas penetrates phenomenally," Dickson added.
Nasser Obaid, Head of the Pest Control Section at Dubai Municipality, echoed Dickson's warnings.
"This product is not for personal use it's for professional use only. The public should not use it. The companies that use it are licensed by Dubai Municipality," he said.
He said contrary to previous reports, the phosphine pellets that killed Nawaz were not supplied by the municipality.
"We don't know where they got it from. It did not come from the municipality. We would never give this product to anyone," he said.
Poisonous fumes attack cardiovascular system
- Also known as hydrogen phosphide, phosphorus hydride, phosphorus trihydride and phosphoretted hydrogen. Chemical formula is PH3.
- Has a fish or garlic-like smell, but it can be hazardous even in low concentrations that people cannot detect.
- A respiratory tract irritant, it mainly attacks the cardiovascular and respiratory systems causing, among other things, heart attacks.
- People are exposed to phosphine mainly by inhaling the gas, but the substance can also penetrate the skin.
Source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, United States
