Schoolchildren poisoned in India, heroin use in New England explodes: Weekly Web Review in Toxicology

23 schoolchildren dead in India after eating poisoned school lunch: Scores of schoolchildren were sickened and at least 23 were dead last week after eating a free lunch of lentils, beans, and rice cooked in oil. According to a report in the New York Times, the meal was contaminated with monocrotophos, an organophosphate insecticide. Descriptions of victims from some eyewitnesses paint a picture typical of cholinergic toxicity: vomiting, foaming at the mouth, and fainting. Monocrotophos is highly toxic and has rapid onset. It is banned in the United States but still used in other countries. Novel Hallucinogens and Plant-Derived Highs: Emily Dye, a forensic chemist at the Drug Enforcement Administration, has posed a presentation about new drugs of abuse. Lots of structures, but unfortunately little clinical data. Tip o’ the hat to @erowid and @DavidJuurlink for linking to this post. New England Seeing Increased Incidence of Heroin Abuse: An article in the New York Times reports that cases of heroin overdose and death are rising drastically in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. On addiction specialist in Portland ME claims that: “It’s easier to get heroin in some of these places than it is to get a UPS delivery.” In that city, EMS used to get 2 or 3 calls concerning heroin overdose each week. Now they’re receiving up to 4 a day. Paint Companies on Trial for Promoting Lead-Based Products: The Huffington Post reports that Sherwin-Williams an...
Source: The Poison Review - Category: Toxicology Authors: Tags: Medical death heroin india lead monocrotophos organophosphate pesticide poisoned lunch schoolchildren Source Type: news