Boy dies after drinking silver cleaner solution

A two-year-old boy died in a Manila hospital late Wednesday afternoon several hours after accidentally ingesting a silver cleaner solution.

Manny Bacani, of Creeksite, Sucat, Muntinlupa City, was pronounced dead at around 2:30 p.m. by doctors at Mary Johnston Hospital, where he was rushed by his parents Mario Bacani and Mary Ann Andaya.

The couple executed an affidavit waiving an autopsy and an investigation into the death of their son.

Senior Police Officer 2 Henry Ignacio, of the Manila Police District (MPD) homicide section, said his office initially received information on the boy’s death at around 3 p.m. from the hospital.

Ignacio said that according to the parents’ statement, they were buying goods from a store selling silver jewelry stall along Ilaya Street in Divisoria with their son got hold of a glass on the counter containing a solution for cleaning silver, apparently mistaking it for water.

An accident

Upon discovering that the boy had accidentally ingested the poisonous substance, his parents immediately brought him to the nearest hospital for treatment.

Ignacio said the parents chose to waive an investigation, claiming that they could not remember the stall where their son got the silver cleaner nor could they identify its owner.

Warning

The Department of Health as well as the Departnment of Environment and Natural Resources had earlier issued a joint advisory on the sale of cyanide-laced silver cleaners.

The advisory reminded importers, vendors and other commercial establishments on the penalties following the sale or distribution of the substance, particularly “unregistered and unlabeled silver cleaners.”

It was issued to prevent cases of accidental poisoning or deaths due to ingestion of the substance.

Based on data from the Eco-Waste Coalition, three adults and eight children out of 235 cases of silver cleaning poisoning brought to the Philippine General Hospital died in 2009.

From January to September this year, 11 persons have died after drinking the substance, according to the same study.

Posted in: Killer Silver cleaner