“It’s the duck’s fault? It’s the coffee’s fault?” Old people who collapse… If you eat pesticides, this is the first thing you do!

Recently, in Bonghwa, Gyeongbuk, four villagers who fell into critical condition after eating ‘duck meat’ together for lunch on Boknal were revealed to have drank ‘coffee’ at a senior center after the meal. When the police performed a gastric lavage on the four people in their 60s and 70s who were in critical condition, they detected organophosphates such as Etopenprox and Terbuphos, which are pesticide ingredients, and began an investigation.

Organophosphate is a pesticide commonly used in rural areas in Korea and is the main cause of pesticide poisoning. As it has not yet been determined whether it was a crime or an accident, attention is being focused on the symptoms and countermeasures that appear when ingesting pesticides and other disinfectants.

According to the police on the 18th, 41 people who use the senior center in Naeseong 4-ri, Bonghwa-eup, Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongbuk Province, ate duck meat and ssam (wrap) at a nearby restaurant on the 15th to celebrate Boknal. After that, 3 people collapsed at the senior center and senior welfare center that day, and 1 person collapsed at the senior center the next day and fell into critical condition. It was investigated that they all sat at the same table and ate.

The police investigation team conducted an on-site investigation for more than three hours at the Naeseong 4-ri Senior Citizens’ Party on this day, and is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident by questioning local residents who attended the lunch meeting. The police stated that they will conduct the investigation with all possibilities open.

Pesticide poisoning… When poisoned by organophosphate pesticides, try not to move around and keep your head lower than your body.

According to the Rural Development Administration’s Pesticide Safety Information System, the symptoms of ‘pesticide poisoning’ are largely divided into acute pesticide poisoning and chronic pesticide poisoning. In the case of acute, health effects that occur during or within a few hours after spraying, such as dizziness, nausea, and muscle contractions, are included. Chronic refers to long-term health effects that occur due to long-term pesticide exposure over several years or decades.

When elderly people are poisoned by the ‘organic pesticide’ detected above, the most urgent task is to stabilize the patient. They must remain stable as moving can make their condition worse.

If the pesticide is ingested, the patient may lose consciousness or stop breathing, so it is necessary to closely check the patient’s breathing and consciousness. When the patient is resting, it is recommended to turn the patient’s head to the side with it lower than the rest of the body. If the patient is unconscious, pull the chin forward and tilt the head back to facilitate breathing.

If you realize that you have ingested a pesticide, it is not advisable to induce vomiting as an emergency treatment unless the pesticide is highly toxic. If you must induce vomiting or the pesticide is highly toxic, it is important to follow the directions on the pesticide label. Vomiting should only be done on conscious patients.

To induce vomiting, first, insert your fingers into the back of the patient’s throat and gently move them to induce vomiting. Use the other two fingers to pinch open the cheek between the patient’s teeth. After vomiting, or if vomiting is not successful, have the patient drink 3 spoons of activated charcoal mixed in half a glass of water. After vomiting, return the patient to the original lying position.