Kiryas Joel, NY – A four year old Kiryas Joel boy died Tuesday morning after being poisoned by a common household cleaning agent.
A law enforcement source who spoke to VIN News on condition of anonymity said that Yitzchak Menashe Schwartz was in the kitchen of his home when he came into contact with Whink Rust Stain Remover, whose brown plastic bottle and white top may have looked like a bottle of chocolate syrup to the preschooler.
It is unknown if the child ingested or inhaled the chemicals and he was rushed to Orange Regional Medical Center in Middletown before being transported by helicopter to Westchester Medical Center for more advanced treatment.
According to the source, doctors identified extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a heart lung bypass system, as the best course of treatment for the boy, but his vital organs shut down before the hospital could assemble the large team of caregivers required for the complex procedure to attach the child to the machinery which could have given him a 60 percent chance of survival.
Recommended for removing rust stains in white sinks, white toilets and colorfast fabrics and colors, Whink Rust Stain Remover was voted into the Environmental Working Group’s “Hall of Shame” of toxic household cleaners because of its potentially harmful or fatal side effects, as reported by CBS News.
The product’s label warns consumers “Danger: may be fatal or cause permanent damage” and to “keep out of reach of children.”
Whink Rust Stain Remover contains hydrofluoric acid which, according to the Centers for Disease Control, can easily penetrate the skin and get into body tissue, where it can affect major internal organs and be fatal.
The American Journal of Industrial Medicine reported nine fatal cases of occupational poisoning over an 11 year period, all of which were caused by unsafe work practices.
Rust-Oleum, which makes a full line of Whink cleaning products, was not immediately available to comment on the boy’s death.
As reported by Vos Iz Neias