Experts warn against use of ‘highly toxic’ chemicals in homes as questions linger about Soweto deaths

Health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi's recent announcement on the cause of the deaths of several Soweto children has brought renewed focus on two toxic and dangerous pesticides, one banned and the other used in agriculture, and their accessibility to the general market.

Toxicologist Dr Gerhard Verdoorn has warned people against using some of the toxic products, usually in homes, as pesticides. 

Verdoorn said Aldicarb, which is commonly known as 'ga le phirimi' or Twostep, is easily available and lethal. 

Verdoorn said Terbufos cases were nothing new, citing previous cases he assisted with involving the deadly substance. 

One was in Gqeberha, where three children died after eating Howe Instant Noodles in 2021.

Siblings Olwam Ngwendu, seven, and Athenkosi, six months old, and their cousin Sinothando, 11, of Wells Estate, Gqeberha, suffered from convulsions, vomiting and frothing at the mouth and later died after allegedly eating two packets of noodles.

Subsequently, children from Mpumalanga and Limpopo were also reported to have died after eating noodles.

Terbufos was responsible for more than half the deaths of children from acute pesticide poisoning in Cape Town’s western metropole from 2010 to 2019, according to a study co-authored by Prof Andrea Rother, head of the environmental health division at the University of Cape Town’s school of public health, that was published in BMC Public Health last year, according to BusinessLIVE.

While the manufacturer of the product said the children's deaths were linked to another agricultural insecticide, Termifos, Verdoorn pinned it down to Terbufos.

Motsoaledi on Monday revealed that exposure to an organophosphate, which are chemical compounds used as components in pesticides, herbicides and insecticides, was the cause of the deaths of six children in Naledi earlier this month.

Monica Sebetwana, 6, Ida Maama, 7, Isago Mabote, 8, Njabulo Msimanga 7, Katlego Olifant, 7, and Karabo Rampou, 9, died after eating snacks from a local spaza shop which authorities initially suspected were contaminated with pesticide.

“The organophosphate identified in this instance is called Terbufos. All six children died of Terbufos ingestion,” the minister told a news conference.

It remains unclear how the children were exposed to the compound.

The minister also clarified reports that carbamates, another group of chemicals used as pesticides, were the cause of deaths — saying that while there a “slight difference” between the two — this was not the case. Aldicarb, a banned chemical, is part of this group of chemicals. 

“One major difference is that organophosphate is much more lethal and can cause irreversible damage,” he said.

According to Verdoorn, several vendors he spoke to said they had procured Aldicarb or the “black muti [ga le phirimi]” from foreign nationals, who apparently had it in large quantities and sold it to the hawkers.

They in turn, often placed it among food items sold to people, and because they are placed in unsecure packets, there was a possibility of contamination.

“That is the Aldicarb and probably Terbufos [as well] because the two look very similar. It's very difficult for me to understand why we have a situation in the country where people are dying from unnatural causes and there's not an inquest docket opened to find out what happened there.

“If someone dies from unnatural causes, there needs to be a proper investigation. [The situation] is completely out of control and only now is the government waking up, we're sitting on a crisis.”

Jason Stephens of Black Ant pest control, confirmed that “highly toxic” chemicals such as Terbufos would be difficult for the public to access — unless they were purchasing it from unregulated sources.

“I think in the right quantities, any pesticide is harmful, but those highly toxic pesticides are much more difficult to come by. Because the retail market is quite regulated, it's difficult to get your hands on these types of chemicals. If you are buying from a reputable source, the chances of you coming into contact with highly toxic chemicals like Terbufos are extremely low,” Stephens said. 

“I worked with the state pathologist and eventually she got the sample ... and it [cause of death] was proven to be Terbufos. 

“So slowly but surely we're unravelling the mystery, but I don't know how Terbufos ended up in the market. I know exactly how Aldicarb enters the market,” he said.

“The problem is when you start buying from illicit vendors and sources that are not registered to be selling these products. That's when we start to pick up issues,” he said.

The pest control expert said that while he doesn't advise people to buy pesticides, as there are trained professionals to carry out this service, there are instances where it's not feasible to do so. This is particularly so for poorer sections of the population.

In that case, Stephens recommended that: “The big thing to remember when it comes to working with pesticides ... if you are planning on doing a DIY [do-it-yourself] method, make sure you're buying it from a reputable source.”

Buying from these sources is “relatively safe” because these have been “formulated, labelled and retailed” for a specific purpose. These labels would generally provide “very clear instructions on how to apply the product and mix it”.

“People have a misconception that if you [make] the chemicals stronger, it's going to be more effective, but it's actually false.”

Another logical recommendation he made was to ensure pesticides don't come into contact with any food sources — utensils, actual food or surfaces used to prepare food.

“It's quite logical [because] the purpose of a pesticide is to kill ... they've been formulated to kill a target organism and when it comes to humans, insects and pests in general our biologies are not that much different.

“We react to poisons in a similar way — albeit we [humans] may need to [ingest] more of the active ingredient [for it to be effective]. So we need to have more respect for it,” he said.