WATCH ABOVE: Only a day after laying their eight-month-old daughter to rest, a Fort McMurray family said goodbye to their two-year-old son. Shallima Maharaj was there.
EDMONTON — It’s been a heartbreaking week for a Fort McMurray family. In two days, they have arranged funerals for two of their young children.
The two-year-old boy and eight-month-old girl, along with three other siblings, fell ill after accidentally ingesting a toxic chemical in their home.
The children were inadvertently exposed to phosphine gas released from aluminum phosphide pellets. The family brought the insecticide back from a recent trip to Pakistan, hoping it would exterminate bedbugs.
Initially, we were told the family took the children to the hospital on the weekend, but now a family spokesperson says that may not have been the first time.
READ MORE: Possible poisoning in Fort McMurray sends five children to hospital
According to Taj Mohammed, it was more than a week ago when they used the phosphine in their home. Mohammed says they went to hospital in Fort McMurray last Wednesday with symptoms of illness, but were eventually sent home.
“All I know is that they did visit the Fort McMurray emergency on Wednesday before this thing all happened,” said Mohammed.
“They were feeling sick, they did visit the hospital. That is all I know. What they did, what was the procedure, what was the process, I do not know.”
Alberta Health Services said it cannot comment because of patient confidentiality.
Mohammed could not say for certain whether the family had made doctors aware they had been exposed to phosphine during their first visit.
On Thursday it was revealed all but one of the children had been released from hospital.
Mohammed also said five-year-old Zain’s condition is improving. He is currently being treated at the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton.
“I just heard inside that the tubes will be taken out today, and in two or three days he will be put in the recovery ward,” said Mohammed.
The funeral for eight-month-old Zara took place on Thursday. The service for two-year-old Zia was held on Friday. Both took place at Edmonton’s Al-Rashid mosque.
READ MORE: Funeral today for baby killed in accidental Fort Mac poisoning
The poisoning incident happened at Hearthstone Manor, a four-story apartment building at 81 Fraser Ave., near downtown Fort McMurray.
Building manager Sandy Mijajlovic told Global News that the mother grew concerned when her children started vomiting.
The family spokesperson said the municipality has a major bedbug problem that’s especially prevalent in the downtown.
“I think there should be something done about it,” said Mohammed. “This is not the first time I’ve heard it from people… It’s something that needs to be looked at. The municipality has to get involved.”
AHS says to date in 2015, its Environmental Public Health department has received nine complaints related to pests in the entire North Zone.
“The complaints categorized as pest-related include all pests (mice, etc.), not bedbugs alone,” added an AHS spokesperson.
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