Brazil: 3 Women Die After Eating Christmas Cake, Poisoning Suspected
Arsenic – a highly toxic substance – was found in the blood test results of the woman who made the cake.
Three women died and other members were hospitalised after eating a homemade Christmas cake at a family gathering in a suspected poisoning in Torres, in the southern Rio Grande do Sul state, on Monday afternoon.
Arsenic – a highly toxic substance – was found in the blood test results of a 10-year-old boy and the woman who made the cake, they are still hospitalised. Police found several expired products at the woman’s house during the search. They also said that it was not yet clear whether the poisoning was intentional. According to BBC, the test results from the cake are expected to be available by next week.
As per the report, on Friday, the police requested the body of the late husband of the woman who made the cake be exhumed. He died in September due to food poisoning, but his death was deemed natural at the time. At this time, she is not considered a suspect in either of these cases.
The woman is one of the six people who ate the cake at the Christmas celebration, including the woman who baked it. She is believed to have eaten two slices of her homemade cake, and her tests returned the highest levels of arsenic.
As per BBC, police chief Marcos Vinicius Veloso said some of the family members complained that the cake had a "peppery" taste. The family then began to experience symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea, and five of them sought medical help at the Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes Hospital at around 01:00 local time on Tuesday.
Two of the deceased including two sisters – Tatiana Denize Silva dos Anjos, 43, and Maida Berenice Flores da Silva, 58, – suffered a cardiac arrest. Neuza Denize Silva dos Anjos, 65, was reported dead on Tuesday evening from "shock after food poisoning".
According to The Independent, police said they have not found any history of inheritance disputes or falling-out among the family members before the gathering this Christmas.
Arsenic is a metallic element that occurs naturally and is highly toxic in its inorganic form and is classified as a category one carcinogen by the European Union (EU) - meaning it's known to cause cancer in humans.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), people are exposed to elevated levels of inorganic arsenic primarily through drinking contaminated water, using it for food preparation, or irrigating crops. Additional exposure can occur through industrial processes and smoking tobacco. While arsenic is naturally present in soil and can enter food, the levels found in most foods are generally low and not considered a significant cause for concern.
Top Headlines
