Valenzuela folk sickened by antidengue fumes sue fogging team

TEN of the 11 Valenzuela City residents who fell ill last month allegedly due to an anti-dengue fogging operation have sued the local government team that conducted it in their neighborhood.

A criminal complaint for reckless imprudence resulting in physical injuries was filed Thursday afternoon against nine members of the city’s anti-dengue task force.

In a joint affidavit, the complainants from Barangay Karuhatan said they were not informed about the June 26 fogging operation that exposed them to strong fumes that caused breathing difficulties, nausea, vomiting and coughing.

Filed in the city prosecutor’s office, the complaint named Arnel Derecho, officer in charge of the task force, and his eight members as respondents.

Lawyer Julius Bañez said he had advised them to also to file a civil case against city health officials for not informing them about the fogging operation.

In an earlier interview, Dr. Jaime Exconde, officer-in-charge of the Valenzuela City health office, said the anti-dengue team used Deltamethrin, a synthetic chemical insecticide that had been in use for such operations for the last six or seven years.

According to Exconde, the team maintained that they did nothing unusual with the formulation that day, which is one liter of the chemical for every 10 liters of water, the prescribed mix for a densely populated area like Karuhatan.

Still, one complainant, Cromuela Orbita, said the fumes left her dizzy and nursing a headache as well as a dry, itchy throat.

Among those brought to Valenzuela Medical Center for treatment were three minors, a pregnant woman and a senior citizen.