Childs death linked to garden chemical

Lindane Education And Research Network

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Child's death linked to garden chemical

Now that Summer is round the corner, parents are being warned to check for garden and household products containing Lindane, a potentially lethal chemical.

Lindane - Potentially deadly

In January this year, a Coroner concluded that a tiny amount of Lindane caused the death of a young girl in Sussex in August 2000, after playing close to where ant powder containing the chemical had been spread.

Oxfordshire County Council Trading Standards Officers are warning that, although the manufacture of products containing Lindane has been banned from the start of this year, they can still be sold up until June 2002. More worryingly, many people will still have supplies of products containing this pesticide in their sheds and kitchen cupboards.

Lindane may be present in products such as ant powder, or fume pellets.

Common household trade names are:

DOOM MOTH PROOFER AEROSOL
FUMITE LINDANE GENERATOR SIZE 10
FUMITE LINDANE GENERATOR SIZE 40
FUMITE LINDANE PELLET NO 4

Agricultural products are:

M07728 ATLAS STEWARD
M00739 DOFF ANT KILLER
M04868 DOFF GAMMA BHC DUST
M08138 DOFF WEEVIL KILLER
M00933 FUMITE LINDANE 10
M00934 FUMITE LINDANE 40
M00937 FUMITE LINDANE PELLETS

Nigel Strick, Head of Trading Standards at Oxfordshire County Council, said

“The onset of Summer leads to more of these sorts of chemicals being used, and people should exercise care, especially where children and pets are around. I would urge retailers, and anyone buying pesticides or other similar products, to carefully check the label for the presence of Lindane. Parents and grandparents should also check their existing supplies at home. This type of product will sit in kitchen cupboards or on the shelves in garden sheds and garages for years and we must all now clear out anything that could have such a devastating effect.”

Chemicals must be disposed of in a responsible way, and should not be poured down drains or thrown out with normal household rubbish. Oxfordshire County Council Environmental Services can arrange for the safe disposal of chemicals and they can be contacted on 01865 815796.

For more information, please contact Ian Marriott at the Trading Standards Service on 01865 815000.

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Copyright © Oxfordshire County Council.Updated: 01.06.2002

http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/index/news/death_link_to_chemical.htm

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