Three children have died after their mum used sheep dip which she got from their shepherd dad to treat a lice infestation in their hair.
The highly toxic substance which she used was not for human use, and ended up being absorbed through the skin of the three little girls, aged between seven and nine, resulting in their deaths in the commune of Ungra in Brasov County in the Romanian Transylvania region on 29th May.
The girls mum had apparently used a treatment called Tomaxan which she obtained from her husband, who was also the girl’s father and worked as a shepherd.
Tomaxan is a substance normally used to wash sheep and was designed to stop the animal suffering from skin infections and insects, however, it is extremely toxic to humans.
All three girls, who were aged, 7, 8 and 9, suffered cardiorespiratory arrest shortly after their mum applied the solution to their hair.
Two of the girls aged seven and nine were pronounced dead at their homes after emergency medical workers tried to resuscitate them for an hour but without success.
An employee of the the Rupea City Hospital where the ambulance had come from, named Elena Napar said: “The parents came with children in their arms. The children were in cardiorespiratory arrest.
“The fact that they were in a closed room which meant that they breathe in the fumes and that the children had wet hair soaked in the solution which meant it was easily absorbed into the skin unfortunately mattered a lot.”
The 8-year-old girl was transported to Mures County Hospital in a SMURD helicopter but was pronounced dead the following day.
The children’s grandmother and mum were also treated for respiratory difficulties but were discharged sometime later.
The children’s grandmother Elena Bartos said: “The father wants to hang himself. The girls’ mother is in a trance, she was wrong. It was a mistake. She didn’t realize what she was doing.”
Once the mum was able to leave the medical centre, she was taken into custody by the authorities and her husband was also questioned.
They face charges of culpable homicide and culpable bodily harm, according to the authorities. The investigation is ongoing.
