By Express News Service

COIMBATORE: Six children fell sick after consuming food accidently mixed with cow dung powder on Monday. A while after consuming the food, the children aged between 5 and 13, all residents of Thiruvalluvar Nagar in Somayanur village near Chinna Thadagam, started vomiting and fainted. They were rushed to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital.

Sources said that the children, five girls and a boy, were playing on Sunday when they mistook the cow dung for turmeric powder and accidentally added it to the food, prepared with little quantity of rice and vegetables. The incident happened around 9.30 pm.

A few minutes after taking the food, all the six children started vomiting and two of them fainted. After undergoing treatment at advanced intensive care unit for children in the hospital, all the children, except the boy, were discharged on Monday evening. A doctor told TNIE that the children had very minimal yellowish discolouration of skin and Bilirubin levels were normal on the second day.

“Yellow cow dung powder (Auramine O - diarylmethane dye) is a poison if consumed. Parents should be aware of the harmful effects of the powder. If a child consumes it, he will vomit multiple times and his skin will turn yellow,” the doctor added. Further investigations are on.