Poison was accidentally left in a kindergarten in central Israel by an unlicensed exterminator, endangering several toddlers who ended up playing with the hazardous material.
Ironically, the poison was stored in a can used for baby formula, and forgotten in an area of the kindergarten where toddlers usually roam around and play freely.
Following a comprehensive investigation carried out by the Green Police, an arm of the Environmental Protection Ministry, the exterminator, the pesticide company that employed him and the company’s managers were charged with serious offenses. The exterminator was indicted on charges of carrying out pest control work without the proper license, using a substance not according to instructions and using a dangerous substance and leaving it unsupervised in such a way that endangers human lives.
The company was indicted for employing someone without the proper license and for various negligence charges.
Despite a prohibition on removing the pesticide from its original container, the company would regularly provide empty baby formula cans to its employees for storing tools and pesticides.
Tragedy was only avoided thanks to a quick response by the kindergarten’s teacher, who noticed several toddlers playing with the can left behind the day before by the exterminator. Two of them even managed to open the can and touch the substance before the can was taken away by the teacher.
Luckily, medical examinations found that the toddlers who came in contact with the pesticide were healthy and did not face any health risks.
Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel stressed that the involved parties must face consequences, regardless of the outcome.
“This serious incident almost led to a very big disaster,” she said. “Those involved must answer for what they’ve done. Pest control is no child’s play, and the instructions and rules exist for a reason.”