Weed killer found in food

KUALA LUMPUR: The food poisoning case in Siputeh, Batu Gajah in Perak on Friday, was the first incident believed to have been caused by contamination from weed killer sprayed near coffeeshops and blown by the wind.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said the ministry viewed the matter seriously and would issue a guideline on the spraying of weed killer to avoid a similar incident.

“The spraying of weedicide has actually caused the food poisoning on this scale. Normally we do have weedicide poisoning, by those attempting to commit suicide by drinking it and then go to hospital, but this is not the case.

“This is indirect kind of contamination from a source. Weedicide is a very strong poison. It can paralyse our system. We are quite surprised by this type of contamination,” he told reporters here yesterday.

He said the ministry would investigate further into the case and advised those with symptoms of food poisoning to seek immediate treatment, reported Bernama.

Dr Subramaniam was met after receiving a mock cheque from Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah for the purchase of a computer tomography-simulator (CT-simulator) machine.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, in a statement yesterday, said the laboratory test conducted on the blood samples of nine food poisoning victims in Siputeh found that they had been exposed to pesticide.

On Friday, 39 people were admitted to hospital after consuming food bought from an eatery in Siputeh.

Twenty-four of the victims were discharged the same evening, four others are in critical condition and being treated at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh while the rest are still warded at Batu Gajah hospital.

Coffee shop owner Jamaludin Saaid was at a loss for words when he heard that 39 people had suffered food poisoning after eating food bought from him.

“These people have been coming to my shop for years. I don’t know what to say,” said the 63-year-old.

Jamaludin, whose coffee shop has been ordered closed for two weeks, said he would cooperate with the authorities to identify the cause of the food poisoning and possible contamination.

Jamaludin’s wife, Azmi Ramli, 54, who opened the coffee shop 15 years ago, said this was the first time such an incident has happened.

“We were shocked when our friend told us that some of our customers had been admitted to hospital for food poisoning,” said Azmi.