Manila: A local expert is not convinced with the government findings on a milk tea beverage that killed two people last week.
Private forensic pathologist Dr Raquel Fortun said the Department of Health should conduct more exhaustive testing on the milk tea samples to include those ingested by the two victims, Suzanne Dagohoy, 28, and William Abrigo, 57.
A third victim, Arnold Aydalla is recuperating at the Philippine General Hospital after the poisoning episode last April 9.
“There is a strong likelihood that the incident was intentional. If it is intentional, therefore someone should be held accountable, we have to keep an open mind,” she said in Filipino in an interview aired by the GMA network.
She likewise took note of the speed that the substance had affected the victims — killing them in several minutes.
Earlier, the Department of Health came short of ruling out the possibility of intentional poisoning as it said that initial samples of the milk tea showed negative for containing toxic substances.
In initial findings released on April 13, Department of Health Secretary Janette Garin said samples of a milk tea beverage that downed three people in Sampaloc last Thursday turned out negative for “toxic substances”.
Dagohoy and Ergo Cha milk tea franchise shop owner Abrigo, had collapsed and died on Thursday morning several minutes after drinking the milk tea.
While virtually ruling out the possibility that the milk tea was contaminated with toxic chemicals, Garin nevertheless said test are continuing with regards to the incident.
Like Fortun, she had said that while the milk tea samples were negative for “toxic” substances in the initial tests, the tests would be expanded to include “biological samples such as blood, tissues, and gastric contents from the victims as collected during the autopsy”.
These tests she said, could prove the presence of “toxins” in the milk tea.
“Toxins” are different from “toxic” substances. The first are “organic”, as in produced by microorganisms and could form with interaction within the digestive system, while the second could be made from a chemical or combination of chemicals such as in pesticides.
Garin also said that the DOH is also studying the security video footage at the Ergo Cha stall taken during the time of the incident.
“DOH, in coordination with the Food and Drug Administration and toxicologists from the UP-Philippine General Hospital (PGH), obtained and studied the footage from the food establishment to aid in assessing the clinical manifestations and course of illness of the victims. Samples of the milk tea ingested were also submitted for examination,” she said.
Tragic as the incident is, Garin cautioned the people against making conclusions and sweeping generalisations.
“The situation appears to be an isolated event, pointing to a possible case of poisoning. Let me emphasise that this is isolated. In fact, this is the third time the couple bought milk tea in the same food establishment. No untoward incident happened during the previous intake” she said.
“We appeal to the public not to generalise the situation as many small and medium scale enterprises are dependent on the sale of milk tea and similar beverages,” she said.
An expert at the National Poison Centre at PGH said it could take months before the true cause of poisoning could be known.
The doctor, who requested that her name is not mentioned, cited a 2005 case when 30 schoolchildren in Bohol died after eating maruya or cassava fritters, contaminated with pesticide.
“In that case it took six months before it was officially concluded that the cause of poisoning was pesticide contamination,” she said.
