Toxic Cough Syrup Claims 26 Children's Lives: Brain, Lungs, Liver Damaged Before Death

Multi-Organ Devastation Revealed

While authorities initially attributed deaths to kidney failure, medical investigations have uncovered extensive damage to the liver, lungs, and brain. Dr. Vinod Dhingra, a toxicologist from Gwalior Medical College, explained that diethylene glycol—the same chemical used in automobile coolants—metabolizes into toxic acids, causing metabolic acidosis throughout the body.

The poisonous compound first attacks the kidneys, but as acid levels rise, fluid accumulates in the lungs, making breathing increasingly difficult for affected children. The toxin also damages the brain and central nervous system, leading to irreversible multi-organ failure.

Doctors treating the children in Nagpur hospitals witnessed the rapid deterioration firsthand. Senior pediatrician Dr. Rajesh Agrawal recalled, "When the children came to us, we started dialysis, assuming it was renal failure. But their condition worsened rapidly. The poison had affected the liver, lungs, and brain".

Critical Delays and Suppressed Evidence

Despite 26 confirmed deaths, post-mortem examinations have been conducted on only three children, with sources alleging that the administration and health department are suppressing crucial reports. Dr. Ashok Sharma, former Director of Madhya Pradesh's Medico-Legal Institute, criticized this approach, stating that post-mortem analysis and histopathology could have revealed which organs were most affected and the extent of internal damage.

Laboratory tests confirmed that Coldrif syrup contained 48.6 percent diethylene glycol—nearly 500 times the permissible 0.1 percent limit. The contaminated syrup was manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals in Tamil Nadu, and authorities have since arrested the company owner and a prescribing doctor.

Ongoing Crisis

Several other children who consumed the toxic syrup remain hospitalized in critical condition at Nagpur facilities. The Madhya Pradesh government has banned Coldrif and announced Rs.4 lakh compensation for each bereaved family, while multiple states have imposed similar prohibitions.

The World Health Organization has expressed "serious concern" over India's pharmaceutical safety regulations, warning that such contaminated medications could reach international markets through unregulated channels.