FATAL FOOD POISONING BY PARATHION

A case of family food poisoning by the organophosphate insecticide (OP I) parathion is revised. Poisoning was involuntary, affecting four bro thers in one family that ate eggplant floured with parathion, wich was mistaken for flour. As a result, 2 patients died suddenly and the oth er two had cardiorespiratory arrest, one dying from this while hospita lized, the other discharged without further consequences. The clinical diagnosis of poisoning was confirmed by the below-normal levels of pl asmatic cholinesterase, Presence of parathion was detected in the gast ric juices and blood of those poisoned as well as in the sample of the fried eggplant. We emphasize the need for public information campaign s on the storage and use of OPI in order to avoid this kind of acciden ts.