Death of Yemen Newborn Linked to Paint Fumes
A four day old baby born to the Al-Mahdari family of Yemen has died from exposure to paint fumes according to an autopsy report. Three other babies mysteriously died at the hospital the same week.
According to the family, the hospital, Saber private hospital in Mansoura, had just painted the reception area, and the corridors leading from the incubators to the maternity ward. The family suggests that the baby died from inhaling paint fumes while passing back and forth through the corridors.
“They painted the hospital in the presence of patients and new born children. The components used in painting are dangerous and cause asphyxiation. This resulted in three children’s deaths, and my newborn child was the fourth,” Toufiq Al-Mahdhari, the baby's father.
Indeed most paints contain known carcinogens including benzene, and are most dangerous when wet or fresh. A recent Benzene Leukemia Law Blog post regarding a new study linking paint fumes to childhood leukemia can be seen here.
It is well known that children are more susceptible to inhaled toxins because they breathe more air in proportion to their weight than adults.
