At least 84 Nigerian children have died in the past three months from tainted dental medicine, according to the country’s Health Ministry.

“My Pikin” is a paracetemol-based formula designed to stop teething pain. A batch of the medicine that went on sale in November was tainted with diethylene glycol, a deadly poison.

Diethylene glycol is the active ingredient in antifreeze. The colorless, odorless liquid is similar in consistency to glycerin, which is perfectly safe. However, counterfeiters have fraudulently passed off diethylene glycol as the more-expensive glycerin.

Hmm… Where have we heard this tragic story before?

• Tainted pet food killed countless cats and dogs
• Tainted cough syrup killed dozens in Panama
• Tainted toothpaste put countless lives in danger

However, these scandals were blamed on Chinese imports. In this case, officials traced the contamination back to an unregistered chemical dealer in a slum of Lagos, Nigeria. A number of pharmaceutical officials are already under arrest.

Read the whole story