Five people died in their homes on Friday because of illegal insecticides, according to Civil Defense sources. The bodies have been transferred to hospital and the cases are under investigation.

Deputy Director of Civil Defense in the Makkah Region Maj. Gen. Abdullah Al-Jidawi said the increase in deaths due to insecticides has forced the government agencies to apply new mechanisms in the market.

He added: “The latest deaths are not the first of their kind, and we cannot say they will be the last because of the difficulty in controlling the insecticides market.”

This insecticide comes in the form of white pellets used in houses, evaporating into the air.

A committee has been formed by the Civil Defense and Ministry of Agriculture for probe.

Al-Jidawi said stores that provide these insecticides were raided and large quantities were confiscated.

Al-Jidawi explained that one of the biggest problems in the rescue process is that those affected don’t know they are poisoned. Those who sell the substances tell the family about the necessity to vacate the house for 15 hours, but they do not tell neighbors because they think they will not be hit.

Hassan Sanqouf, director-general for agriculture in the Makkah Region, said that a committee has been formed to monitor the shops selling insecticides and to organize the market. The steps include specifying buying and sales outlets with specific quantities and keeping an eye on the buyers.

M. Al-Saedi, an environmental expert, said: “The insecticides are composed of dangerous substances, classified as deadly. They have a negative effect on everything, including plants and human life.”

Some of the negative health effects include weakness in the immune system, memory loss, difficulty in the breathing system and loss of limb use. On the issue of the latest deaths through inhaling, he said these substances are not licensed.

He said people working in irrigation and agriculture are the most affected because of the nature of their work and those working in Civil Defense and emergency relief.

Dr. Yousef Taha, an emergency doctor in a private hospital, said: “Chances of survival vary depending on first aid and the substance they inhaled”.

Most individuals don’t even know they have been poisoned, and the difficulty lies in the substance they inhaled. He said it’s quite important for those people to go to the emergency department nearest to their homes as soon as they experience poison symptoms.

According to local press reports, in the past years, there have been 10 cases of poison and suffocation in Jeddah due to the toxin phosphine.