September 28: Two men suffocated to death after allegedly inhaling toxic chemicals in a public toilet in Mumbai.
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials stated that the incident had occurred in the early hours of the day at a public toilet near the Parsi Panchayat Gate near Mrunaltai Bridge in the Ram Mandir East area.
The two victims were identified as Prabhakar Dhanivar (24) and Bhavin Desai (18). They were rushed to a nearby civic-run hospital, however, doctors declared them dead around 3:45 AM.
Madhurima Joshi, a Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) officer, visited and inspected the spot along with her team.
Pollution Monitoring Device has been installed at the said place to continuously measure the air and pollution quality for 24 hours by the Pollution Control Board officers.
DCP Gajanan Rajmane (Zone 12) mentioned that the chemical had leaked from a chemical shop named Sai Electroplate located nearby. The shop was owned by Navinchandra Chawda. The chemical leakage resulted in the death of two youths due to suffocation.
Sharing details of the incident, Senior Police Inspector Abdul Shaikh of Vanrai Police Station told ANI, "The day before yesterday, following the Ganpati immersion, about 8–10 members of the group had a meal and were sitting near the site around 2:30 am. During this time, two youths felt the urge to urinate and went to a nearby public toilet. When they did not return, others checked the toilet and found them unconscious. The police were informed and both were admitted to the hospital, where they were declared dead. Upon investigation, an odour was detected at the scene. Inquiries revealed a small electroplating factory nearby that uses specific chemicals. It is suspected that chemicals were discharged into the drainage system from there, causing the fumes to spread...a post-mortem has been conducted. We have detained one individual..."
On discovering the two individuals lying lifeless on the floor, local citizens rescued the duo and rushed them to the nearby Trauma Care Hospital in Jogeshwari. Unfortunately, both of them lost their lives before receiving treatment. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem by the authorities to ascertain the exact cause of their death.
Breathing in a large amount of toxic fumes often because of an accident, human error, or equipment failure can be very dangerous.
It can cause:
Immediate death: Very toxic fumes can prevent the body from getting enough oxygen, causing asphyxia (suffocation).
Breathing difficulties: Less severe exposure can irritate and inflame the nose, throat, and airways, making it difficult to breathe.
Lung swelling: In some cases, fluid can build up in the lungs (pulmonary edema), which can severely affect breathing.
Weakness of breathing muscles: The muscles responsible for breathing can become impaired, making it harder to breathe normally.
Delayed symptoms: Some lung problems may not appear immediately and can develop hours after exposure.
In order to avoid such situations leading to death by suffocation authorities and organisations should always:
Regular checks should be conducted by authorities for toxic gas contamination at industrial plants/ factories/ shops.
Instruct common people about the dangers of poisonous/toxic gases.
Machinery containing toxic gases should be stored away from public spaces.
Air Quality Index measuring systems should be installed at public space
Reference:
1. do Pico GA. Toxic gas inhalation. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 1995 Mar;1(2):102-8. PMID: 15786599. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15786599/
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