7 children taken to Hospital after they consumed a plant used to
produce biodiesel.
On Thursday Evening Medical Staff at the Banglamung Hospital
admitted 7 children who were thought to have ingested a poisonous
plant. The 5 girls and 2 boys attend the Sutawat Temple School in
Soi Neun Pleub Wan and after school the group met near the school
which is when they apparently ate what they thought was a harmless
fruit which was brought along to the Hospital. In fact the fruit
comes from a tree called Jatropha Curcas Linn which is used to
produce the non-edible Jatropha oil, for making candles and soap and
as an ingredient in the production of biodiesel. Although not highly
poisonous the children suffered repeated vomiting and were treated
with medication and released some hours later. The children were
told never to eat anything more in the future unless a responsible
adult confirmed it was edible.
http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_02_02_50_4.htm
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[Comments: We are reading and listening about cases of accidental
poisoning from regions where Jatropha plantation is in progress. Few
months back poisnous Jatropha made ill 11 children in Chhattisgarh.
Similiar incidences have been reported in many other countires
including in South Africa. Few days back one of our group members
who has joined this group by mistake(?) as he is strong Jatropha
supporter, wrote to me that consumption of Jatropha by children is
baseless assumption. I suggested him to read the reports in
Internet.

Experts say that such incidences will increase in coming days. It
seems that Jatropha promoters want to earn money anyway, even taking
lives of children and providing damage to nature forever.]