Exposure to soybean dust may have caused at least 14 deaths in Pakistan’s Karachi

More than 200 people have been hospitalised or treated for breathing problems since Sunday

Many schools in the area were closed for a third straight day on Wednesday as the authorities investigate

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Residents of areas affected by a toxic gas leak demonstrate against the government in Karachi, Pakistan. Photo: AP

Published: 5:55pm, 19 Feb 2020Updated: 5:55pm, 19 Feb 2020

Authorities in Pakistan are investigating if exposure to soybean dust, which can cause severe allergic reactions, is responsible for at least 14 deaths and dozens of illnesses in the southern port city of Karachi.

More than 200 people have been hospitalised or treated for breathing problems since Sunday as authorities try to determine if a leak of toxic gas was to blame, after many patients complained of an unfamiliar odour.

“While we are working on this complex bioanalytical problem, we think this may be due to overexposure to soybean dust,” Pakistan’s International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences told authorities in a letter on Tuesday.

Men wearing face masks wait to see their relatives who were admitted after being affected by a suspected gas leak. Photo: Reuters

Although it was still testing blood and air samples, the agency urged extreme care during the unloading of soybean containers at the port, adding that exposure to soybean dust had been known to cause breathing ailments and deaths.

Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani told the Dawn newspaper that a ship offloading a shipment of soybean had been removed from the port terminal.