Dangerous toxins were found in the cough syrups after which children died in Gambia

Dangerous toxins were found in the cough syrups after which children died in Gambia

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US scientists have concluded that the deaths of 66 children in Gambia may have been caused by toxins in cough syrup. Consumption of which can lead to kidney failure and death, Reuters reports. The cough medicines that have killed children combine ingredients such as paracetamol (known as acetaminophen in the US) to reduce fever, with a syrup made from glycerin or propylene glycol that is safe, sweet and easy to swallow. Manufacturers have to purify the medicine from toxins, however, ethylene glycol (EG) alcohol and diethylene glycol ether (DEG) were found in these syrups. Photo: londondeposit/Depositphotos Chaitanya Kumar Koduri, director of regulatory affairs for the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP), a non-profit organization that helps set drug manufacturing standards, said both substances could be a byproduct of the production of propylene glycol, which is used in the syrup. According to him, substances have similar properties. But while propylene glycol is non-toxic, EG and DEG are extremely harmful. Getting into the body, they lead to kidney failure. According to pathologists, if you do not begin to treat a person who uses them, then a quick death can follow. USP’s director of regulatory affairs emphasized that due to human factors, the dosage of these substances in the cough syrup could have been mixed up. It will be recalled that the connection between the deaths of children and medicines was first discovered in October 2022, when the World Health Organization sent out a warning that four cough syrups produced by the Indian company Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd contained a known toxin – diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol. Read also: In Indonesia, all medicinal syrups were banned due to the death of almost 100 children

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