3 Children Die After Mother Mistakenly Uses Toxic Solution To Treat Lice Infestation

Three children in Romania died after their mothermistakenly applied a toxic solution to treat a lice infestation in their hair.

The tragic incident took place in Brasov County in the Transylvania region, and the children were aged between seven and nine.

According to local media reports, the mother used sheep dip, a highly toxic substance, which was supplied by their father. The solution, called Tomaxan, is generally used to wash sheep to prevent skin infections and insect infestations. However, it is said to be extremely toxic to humans, local media Playtech Impact reported [Google Translation showed].

On May 29, the mother mistakenly applied the solution to their hair to treat lice. After a while, the three children suffered cardiorespiratory arrest. Emergency medical workers were called to the home, and they tried to resuscitate the children.

Two of the girls – aged seven and nine – were pronounced dead at their homes. The eight-year-old girl was transported to Mures County Hospital in a helicopter. She was declared dead the following day despite receiving treatment, 7News reported.

“The fact that they were in a closed room, which meant that they breathed in the fumes, and that the children had wet hair soaked in the solution, which meant it was easily absorbed into the skin, unfortunately, mattered a lot," an employee of the Rupea City Hospital, from where the ambulance had come, said, 7News reported.

The children’s grandmother and mother were also treated for respiratory difficulties. It remains unclear if anyone else was present in the home other than the children, the mother and the grandmother.

“The girls’ mother is in a trance, she was wrong. It was a mistake. She didn’t realize what she was doing," the children’s grandmother Elena Bartos said.

After the mother was discharged from the hospital, she was taken into custody. The police also questioned the husband as part of the investigation into the deaths. Authorities charged the mother with culpable homicide and culpable bodily harm. It remains unclear if the father was also arrested.