Fujairah Police have issued warnings to residents about the dangers of using hazardous chemicals in their homes, following the deaths of four members of the same family in August.
Working with the Civil Defence, Fujairah Medical Zone and Fujairah Municipality, police are seeking to raise community awareness about the domestic use of hazardous materials, particularly the importance of following instructions on labels.
For instance, residents should always ensure proper ventilation when using dangerous chemicals such as nitric acid; keep all dangerous materials beyond the reach of children; and handle them with care.
When a person is exposed to chemical fumes, they should be moved to an open-air environment and given first aid, police said.
“We still remember the incident, it affected us all,” said Mohammed Al Zeyoudi, a 33-year-old Emirati living near Rul Dadna in Dibba, where the four Emirati family members died after they were exposed to high levels of toxic fumes while cleaning their house with nitric acid.
“It’s a serious issue and it’s good to know that the authorities are concentrating on it and raising awareness.
“I received a couple of text messages from the police warning about the danger of using toxic chemicals without the help of professionals.”
Mr Al Zeyoudi said he had never used chemicals on his own, and always sought professional help.
Abdullah Saleem, a resident in Dadna, said the authorities should monitor shops that sell such chemicals and enact tough rules on selling them to the public so as to prevent needless deaths.
“I call the municipality every three weeks to come and empty the sewage tank in order not to experience any blocking in the pipes, and I have never used or would think to use nitric acid,” he said.
rhaza@thenational.ae