The tragic death of a three-week-old boy in Sharjah raises serious safety concerns. He died after a banned pesticide – which contains a deadly chemical and was not meant for domestic use – was applied in the flat next door to his home. Despite police warnings, some residents continue to use banned pesticides, endangering the lives of many, especially young children.
As The National reported yesterday, the neighbour who had sprayed his flat with the chemical was detained after being charged with causing the wrongful death of a child.
The police are also searching for the man who provided the chemical, aluminium phosphide, which is banned from use in residential areas. Holding users accountable for their actions is important to stopping such incidents in the future.
Yet, this is not enough. Pest-control regulations needs to be rigorously enforced to prevent the sale and distribution of such substances. Companies should understand that they are required to obtain an operating licence from authorities and follow strict safety procedures when handling and using chemicals. Rogue unlicensed individuals should be tracked down and penalised for illegally distributing or using these substances.
Those who use non-residential pesticides for agricultural purposes should be required to obtain a separate licence, which would mandate these chemicals for use on farms and rural areas, but would ban them from being used in homes and apartments. Licensing systems have proved successful with other goods and services and could help to address this particular problem, which has happened far too frequently. These tragedies cannot continue.
Furthermore, the country could take a more wide-ranging approach to tackling the issue. This should include identifying the black market operators and their distribution networks. More awareness campaigns should be introduced to educate the public about the potential risksof using unlicensed pesticides.
The authorities have to play their part. Without society as a whole taking the required action, more innocent souls will have misery heaped upon them and avoidable incidents will keep happening.
