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Cinnamon Grand says butter; medical experts say toxic fumes likely cause
View(s):Fresh questions are emerging about the incident at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel where several people fell ill during a reception to celebrate the Queen’s birthday, with medical sources pointing at the possibility of pest control fumigation gases being the cause.
While the hotel in a June 22 statement says that butter served at the function “may have been the cause for concern” and directed the Sunday Times to this statement when further information was requested, medical sources said that such an “instant reaction” among the guests could be an indication that toxic fumes may be a likely cause.
Cinnamon Grand has refuted concerns with regard to the quality of the air in the Oak Room, where the reception was held on June 12, stating that it has obtained external expert reports on the air quality systems in the function rooms which have been certified as compliant with applicable standards and ruled out as the cause of any concern.
Several doctors queried as to when the air quality systems had been checked, explaining that it could not have been soon after the incident. By that time any toxic gases used in fumigation may have dispersed, they said. Did the Cinnamon Grand carry out pest control measures before the function even in adjoining areas, is the question that needs to be addressed, they said.
The Sunday Times, meanwhile, understands that the reports on the samples collected for testing on the night of June 12 have been submitted to the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni of the Colombo Municipal Council. Dr. Wijayamuni who was out of the country and due back only late last night, was not contactable.
The samples from the Cinnamon Grand Hotel including butter had been sent for testing to the Government Analyst, the City Analyst and the Medical Research Institute, it is understood, while liquor samples too had been collected by the police for testing.Among the guests at the reception organised by the Sri Lanka United Kingdom Society was British High Commissioner James Dauris.
After several of the guests fell ill, there was speculation whether it was due to a gas leak or the mushroom soup that was served.
According to the Cinnamon Grand samples of 67 items of food and drink had been sent by them for expert analysis by an independent and internationally accredited laboratory.
“A report received today (June 22) revealed that the butter served at the function may have been the cause for concern. Immediate steps are being taken to further investigate this matter including testing at the level of the supplier and manufacturer,” the hotel said.
Explaining that “this unfortunate incident” has resulted in a reassessment of all their processes and procedures to ensure that standards remain the highest possible, the Cinnamon Grand says there has been an immediate implementation of additional measures well above the required ISO standards in processes relating to purchasing, storing and food preparation to safeguard against a recurrence of this incident.