TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In the suspected food poisoning case involving leaf-wrapped dumplings in Taitung County, tests on eight individuals detected a hazardous pesticide.
Over the Mid-Autumn Festival (Sept. 17) the incident affected a dozen people who ate millet zongzi, causing three deaths. CDC Deputy Director Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) provided a written update on the latest test results on Friday (Sept. 20), per CNA.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said the organophosphate pesticide terbufos was found in leftover zongzi. The CDC worked with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Taitung County Public Health Bureau.
It sent samples to National Taiwan University’s (NTU) forensic medicine department and Taipei Veterans General Hospital’s toxicology division for testing. Lo said that NTU's forensic department confirmed the blood samples from eight individuals contained terbufos.
On Tuesday night, an 83-year-old woman surnamed Tseng (曾) from Jinfeng Township's Binmao Village ate a millet rice dumpling wrapped in leaves, containing snails, pork, bamboo shoots, and millet powder. She experienced vomiting and convulsions and was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital.
Eleven relatives who attended the wake and also ate the millet dumplings were hospitalized. Among them, a 36-year-old woman surnamed Hsu (徐) and a 76-year-old woman surnamed Liu (劉) died.
In total, 12 people were hospitalized, three died, and six were admitted to the intensive care unit.
