Tolfanson Toxicity Alert: Millet Tops the List in Taitung Poisoning Incidents

Taitung Snail Millet Rice Poisoning Incident

(Central ‍News Agency​ reporters Zeng Ying and Shen Peiyao, Taipei, ​20) In three suspected food poisoning cases in Taitung, the Food and ​Drug Administration ‌of the‌ Ministry of Health and Welfare said today that quantitative tests found that millet‍ was present. Dumping samples of snails and millet‍ rice ‍contained the pesticide tolfanson ⁢at 405 mg/kg, the ⁣highest of ⁣all constituents, but no⁤ fipronil or ‌other pesticides were detected.

The Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry⁣ of Health and Welfare ‍said yesterday ‌that the⁣ highly ​toxic organophosphorus pesticide‍ “Tholphonson” has been ‍detected in leftover snail and⁣ millet rice​ dumplings. Today, the Ministry ‍of Health and Welfare held a press conference‍ to explain ⁢the‌ results of the quantitative test, the concentration of millet among various‌ ingredients was 405 mg/kg.

However, today, investigators first‌ found an unwrapped package⁤ of “fataibao⁢ (fenpuni)” pesticide in ⁣the kitchen cabinet of the deceased ⁣grandmother Zeng’s home. In this regard, ⁣Lin Jinfu, deputy director of the Food‌ and⁢ Drug ⁢Administration, pointed ‌out that the ⁣inspection results of​ food waste and leaves, snails ​and other⁤ related⁤ materials announced yesterday were for 410 pesticides “scanned at once”, tolfonson and other pesticides were detected but not all were detected.

Yang Zhenchang, director of the Department of ⁢Occupational Medicine and Clinical Toxicology at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, also pointed‍ out⁤ in a telephone interview with⁤ the‌ media ⁢today that “it should not be ⁢fipronil⁣ if it causes severe poisoning, but it can cause serious obstruction.” , respiratory depression, or death; However, the⁢ main symptoms in ‍this patient were miosis, respiratory depression, and increased oral ‍and‌ nasal ⁣secretions, which were inconsistent with fipronil.

Yang Zhenchang noted that‍ fenpunil, an insecticide used to kill ants, fire ants and other insects, was previously ⁤used⁣ to​ kill ​parasites in chickens, which⁢ led to the fenponil egg incident. In the past,​ the symptoms of poisoning incidents were usually quite mild and most were caused by accidental ingestion of bait.

In‍ this case, Yang Zhenchang, judging from ‍the condition of the patient’s symptoms, inspection of the human body and ​food, ​they were⁤ all in line with the organophosphorus pesticide tofosine that “should ‍clear the entire outline and poisoning​ substance.” Comes⁣ from toxic substances, it needs to be further clarified. He noted based on clinical experience that organophosphorus⁣ pesticide poisoning is usually most severe​ in the first ‍few days, and may require hospitalization in an intensive care unit, and‍ overall⁤ treatment ⁣needs ⁢to be at least 1 week.

In ⁢response to this incident, Taiwan’s Science and Technology Media Center ⁤(SMC) invited relevant⁣ experts to analyze it. Chen Shiqing, distinguished professor and director‌ of the Department of‌ Life Sciences ​at Central ‌University, ⁣noted that Tolfonson can cause overexcitation of the⁣ nervous system, which ⁣can cause symptoms such as shortness of breath and ​epilepsy, and can be fatal in severe cases.

Chen Xiqing believes that tofsin residues ⁤in ⁤millet rice dumplings have caused concern⁣ for‍ the food concerned, that the problem may ‍be caused by inappropriate‌ or illegal ‍use of pesticides, and that not all rice‌ products will⁢ be affected.

Shen Zhenfeng, associate professor of ⁤the⁤ Department of Biotechnology at Huawei University⁤ of Science and Technology, also said that the concentration of pesticide‌ residues in common agricultural products ‍will not cause ⁣serious acute ‌injury if it is true that the high concentration of pesticide residues causes this poisoning, the source may not be due to the normal‍ application of pesticides.