MADURAI: Despite a slight dip observed in the number of rodenticides following the recent ban on phosphorous paste sales by the Tamil Nadu government, doctors said such cases are still reported at the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) in Madurai. “The ban is valid for phosphorous paste -- one of the main causes of suicidal deaths recorded in TN -- but rat poison cakes and powder are available in all markets,” they added.
According to the 2021 National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, Tamil Nadu was ranked 2nd in the overall number of suicidal deaths in India, with majority cases caused by consumption of poison. To curb such deaths, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare imposed a temporary ban on six hazardous pesticides, such as Monocrotophos, Profenophos, Acephate, Profenophos + Cypermethrin, Chlorpyriphos + Cypermethrin, and Chlorpyriphos, on December 12, 2022. The department also prohibited sale of 3% yellow phosphorus chemical, which is the main constituent in phosphorous paste for killing rats.
Dr M Natarajan, Department of General Medicine head in GRH, said, “Patients experience bleeding gums, yellow eyes and symptoms similar to jaundice as rat poison damages the liver first, and sometimes leads to multiple organ failure. If a patient has a pre-existing illness, the treatment might take two to three months. In January alone, 43 rat poison cases were reported with 3 deaths at GRH,” he added.
Dr S Balasankar, Head of the Department of Paediatrics, GRH, said rat poison cases reported in children 12 years and under, were mostly accidental. “Fearing action, some parents do not reveal their child consumed rat poison. Instead they term it as jaundice symptoms. In 2022, 16 children were treated for rat poisoning,” he said.
Dr R Balajinathan, Dean of Thanjavur Government Hospital and Department of General Medicine, said after imposing the state-wide ban, cases of phosphorous paste consumption have slightly dipped, he added.
“In the event of consuming rat poison, the patient should be rushed to a nearby hospital within half-an-hour-to-four-hour window. The symptoms will only show after three to five days. The patient’s stomach will first be washed out. If the poison has diffused deep into the blood cells, the patient is administered Plasmapheresis treatment to remove the toxic substances in the body,” added Dr R Balajinathan.
Stating that insecticide inspectors had visited the shops in Usilampatti village and found out that they were selling banned rat poison, Joint Director of the Agriculture Department in Madurai, T Vivekanandan, said all 12 blocks would be inspected. When asked about action taken to curb sale of rat poison online, he said the department will soon act on it.
(Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline: 044-24640050.)
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