CORONER'S WARNING

Grey River Argus, 27 April 1945, Page 6

CORONER'S WARNING

POISONOUS PRESERVATIVES IN MEAT P.A. WELLINGTON, April 20 The extremely dangerous nature of sodium nitrite, used by butchers in the preservation of meat, was emphasised by expert witnesses at an inquest yesterday into the death of Irene Christine MacFarlane, the one year old daughter of a Porirua butcher. The child died last Sunday after eating some of the contents of a Mn-in her father’s shop. The tin was marked with a trade name, “Curit,” and evidence was given that it and another similar substance called “Colour Brite” were used for curing meat. Mr. R. L. Andrew, Government analyst, said that the tin contained sodium nitrite. An analysis of the contents of the child’s stomach showed that it contained the same substance. Dr. P. P. Lynch stated that a post mortem showed that the child died of sodium nitrite poisoning. The Coroner (Mr. Mellish) expressed alarm over the possibility, of such substances being put in the hands of people who had no knowledge of their toxic properties. “I am very concerned indeed about the unrestrained sale of substances such as have been described to-day under the trade names of Colour Brite and Curit,” he said. Giving his finding that the child died from sodium nitrite poisoning, Coroner added a rider that the attention of the Health Department should be drawn to the fact that such poisonous substances were used in the preservation of meat and that ther e were no proper safeguards regarding their use.