Residents of hostel felled by fumes

On Wednesday night twenty children residing at the Princess Royal Youth Hostel, situated at mile twenty-one on the Western Highway, were overcome by fumes after a truck from the Public Health Bureau had sprayed for mosquitoes. According to Fermin Olivera, Acting Director of the Community Rehabilitation Centre, that manages the institution, they have yet to meet with health officials to find out what could have happened to make the children sick.

Fermin Olivera, Ag. Director, Community Rehab Centre

“Last night I got a call from the staff reporting that several of our children were experiencing bad feelings, couple of them were vomiting, rashes had come on several of them as well. We had suspected that it was the spraying that happened earlier that day. We sent the kids to the Karl Heusner for medical attention and I confirmed later today that indeed some kind of phosphate poisoning, they were exposed to some kind of phosphates. We are presuming that resulted in what was affecting the kinds. Almost every one of our children was experiencing some type of discomfort. According to the staff there, the recommended period was four or five hours from what they are saying, I can’t recall, but they kept the kids out of the housing area and so I guess they kept in compliance with what is recommended. However, what we do know is that it had a terrible effect on the children there.”

Olivera says the children are okay and this morning returned to the home. If it is confirmed that the spraying did affect the children, it is the first time that an incident of this scale has resulted from the procedure, which has long been assumed safe.