Kovai cops to crackdown on sale of whitener

COIMBATORE: Following the arrest of two retailers on Wednesday, the Coimbatore police have planned to enforce  the prohibition on selling whiteners to those under the age of 18, strictly in the city.It may be noted that Sathiyan (40), a resident of Police Colony, Ganapathy, and A Feroz (30) of Gandhipark were arrested on Wednesday for selling whiteners for students below 18 years.“Even school students have been using whiteners for quite sometime for their project works. In most cases, parents and teachers are unaware of the harmful effects of poisonous substance in whiteners on the children’s health,” Commissioner of Police Amaresh Pujari told Express on Thursday.“Of late, it is learnt that some youngsters inhale Eraz-ex correction fluid and Diluter by applying it on a cloth or paper. In an effort to stop this practice, the city police will enforce the rule that poisonous substance cannot be sold to those under 18 years,” Pujari said.“On information from the public, we conducted a raid and arrested two persons and seized 15 bottles of Kores Eraz-ex correction fluid and Diluter on Wednesday. There is no harm in shopkeepers stocking whitener in their establishments. But, if parents note shopkeepers selling whiteners to children under 18 years, or children buying it from the same shop regularly, they can alert the city police. Immediate action will be taken on the shopkeepers,” he said.According to him, the department also plans to sensitise parents and teachers to the bad effects that whiteners could cause on the children.Coimbatore Medical College Hospital Resident Medical Officer P Sivaprakasam, talking to Express, said, “Whitener bottles themselves carry warning that they cannot be sold to those under 18 years as it contains fatal inflammable material.” According to him, inhaling whitener might give them a high for four to 10 hours. “Six months ago, an employee of CTS was found dead in his room after inhaling whitener. Whitener contains a chemical, Toluene, which can affect the central nervous system. Generally, it can cause irritation of nose, throat, respiratory tract, fatigue and dizziness. Over 200 ppm it can cause drunkenness, numbness and mild nausea and over 500 ppm, it can result in mental confusion and lack of coordination. Higher concentrations (higher than 10,000 ppm) can result in unconsciousness and death,” the RMO said.