UAE pest control firms warn against cheap services

Dubai: Pest control companies have warned residents against using cheaper unlicensed alternatives after three people died from suspected poisoning recently in the UAE.

A three-year-old Bangladeshi girl and her eight-month-old sister died in Ajman after a neighbouring apartment was treated with chemicals on June 1, officials said.

Separately, a 35-year-old Filipina beauty salon worker died in Fujairah on June 12 in similar circumstances, police said. Two of her Ethiopian housemates fell seriously ill in the incident.

A number of other residents have previously died from suspected poisoning after being exposed to chemicals unfit for domestic pest control, the companies said.

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People dont realise this can be a serious public health and safety issue, things can go horribly wrong if you call in the wrong guys, said P. Pramod, managing director of Universal Pesticides Trading and Services, a licensed UAE operator.

He added that a dangerously common threat is the home use of powerful industrial-strength chemicals called bombs.

I think the so-called bombs might have been used in some recent cases. These tablets can be lethal, they are not for home use. These restricted pesticides are for agricultural industry use under controlled, government-approved conditions.

But people are not aware of this and unscrupulous companies are taking advantage by offering them a cheap short cut to their pest problems the bombs will kill everything.

These tablets break down when they come into contact with air, releasing a strong pesticide gas, he explained.

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UAE pest control firms warn against cheap services