Bed bugs are rampant all over the world, including New York and Hong Kong.
While the spread of bed bugs is causing an emergency all over the world, the toxicity of bed bug pesticides used in some countries, including Egypt, has been found to be significant. An investigation found that the cause of death of a British couple in their 60s who were vacationing at a hotel in Hurghada, a famous resort on the Red Sea in Egypt, in August 2018 was bedbug pesticide sprayed in the room next door.
According to the BBC on the 11th (local time), John Cooper (68) and his wife Susan (63) from Lancashire died after inhaling the fumes of bedbug pesticide in the room next door at a hotel in Hurghada. The bereaved family did not believe Egypt’s announcement that the couple may have died from E. coli and continued testing in their home country.
As a result, the Lancashire Coroner’s Office concluded that the couple died of carbon monoxide poisoning after inhaling the vapors of ‘Lambda’, a bedbug insecticide containing methylene chloride. Lambda is used diluted with methylene chloride in some countries. This substance is known to produce carbon monoxide in the body during metabolism.
The hotel fumigated the next room with Lambda around lunchtime the day before the couple’s death. Afterwards, tape was attached to the gap in the door connecting the two rooms, but it was not completely sealed and did not prevent the spread of pesticide smoke.
Countries around the world are also trying to control the spread of bedbugs, but it doesn’t seem to be easy. On the 11th, Hong Kong authorities held a press conference and began preparing countermeasures, saying that bedbugs were found on the airport train and in the bed of a couple who recently returned from a trip to Korea. On the 10th, Singapore’s national broadcaster CNA also predicted that bedbug infestations would increase by at least 30% compared to previous years.
The New York Post reported that as of the end of last month, the number of bedbug reports in New York, USA, totaled 2,667, a 17% increase from the same period last year. The increase in immigration through the southern border is cited as the cause.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.