Laboratory analyzes detected the presence of arsenic in the blood of three people who ate a cake at a party in Torres, on the coast of Rio Grande do Sul.
The information was confirmed by delegate Marcos Veloso, from the municipality’s Civil Police Station. Three people died after consuming the food last Tuesday night (24).
As determined by CNNthe patients’ clinical and toxicological samples were sent for analysis by the Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes Hospital, where the patients are hospitalized, to the Toxicological Information Center (CIT) in Porto Alegre.
The material indicated the presence of the toxic substance in the bloodstream of three patients who ate the cake.
Poisoned cake
Two of the five people in a family who ate the cake showed clear improvement in their clinical condition last Wednesday (25). The information published in a medical bulletin from Hospital Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes, where the patients are hospitalized.
One of the patients is the person responsible for preparing the cake, Zeli Teresinha Silva, and the other is her 10-year-old great-nephew, who, even in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), was able to talk to some family members.
Three other people in the family died after eating the candy. They are Zeli’s niece and two of her sisters. According to investigators, numerous expired products were found in the house of the person responsible for preparing the cake. The food consumed by the family was seized for forensic examination. The Civil Police sent the bodies for autopsy at the General Institute of Expertise (IGP).
What is arsenic and what are the risks of consuming the substance
According to the Toxicological Information Sheet of the Environmental Company of the State of São Paulo (Cetesb), arsenic is usually obtained as a by-product of the treatment of copper, lead, cobalt and gold ores.
Metallic arsenic is used in the production of non-ferrous alloys and other compounds for manufacturing semiconductors, including light-emitting diodes, lasers, integrated circuits and solar cells. Exposure to the substance can occur mainly through ingestion of food and water.
The initial clinical signs and symptoms of acute poisoning are:
- Abdominal pain;
- Vomiting;
- Diarrhea;
- Skin redness;
- Muscle pain;
- Weakness.
Also according to the report, studies reported dermal lesions such as hyper- and hypopigmentation, peripheral neuropathy, skin, bladder and lung cancer, and peripheral vascular disease in populations that have consumed water contaminated with arsenic for years.
* Under supervision
