7-Year-Old Boy in Brazil Dies After Being Photographed in Chalk Dust
A 7-year-old boy from Brazil's Paraná region tragically lost his life after playing in chalk dust and posing for a family photo.
The incident occurred on August 3 in the southern Brazilian city of Ipriranga. Arthur, the 7-year-old boy, was playing on the side of the road under the supervision of his family when he noticed a pile of fine white dust.
The boy apparently thought it would be fun to roll and play in it and even covered himself with the white dust as children usually do with sand at the beach.
Moments after waking up from the pile of white dust, Arthur started feeling bad and was taken to the local hospital, but doctors could do nothing to save his life.
Arthur and his family didn't know that the pile of dust that some construction company had allegedly dumped by the roadside was limestone dust.
A common concrete filler, the dust can cause irritation to the skin and eyes if it comes into direct contact but is extremely dangerous if inhaled.
Although Arthur only played in the dust for a few minutes, he reportedly inhaled quite a lot of it, which was fatal.
According to the Brazilian Institute of Research and Technology, if someone inhales limestone dust and begins to show poisoning symptoms, they should receive artificial respiration or oxygen and immediate medical treatment.
