On a Saturday morning in November 1967, breakfast turned deadly in Chiquinquira, a central Colombian municipality, as the bread eaten by the townsfolk resulted in the country’s worst mass poisoning. At least 78 people, mostly children, died, and approximately 800 others fell ill after consuming baked goods contaminated with a potent pesticide known as Folidol.
The tragedy began with a deadly logistical and transportation error. According to historical records, Heresmildo Vargas, a driver for the company Transportes Mentoca, was transporting 30 sacks of flour from Molinos Cundinamarca in Bogota to the Nutibara bakery in Chiquinquira, in the Boyaca department. To complete the delivery, the coordinator instructed Vargas to also load boxes containing 24 half-liter glass jars of Folidol.
Folidol is the commercial name for Parathion, a highly toxic organophosphate insecticide used at the time to control pests in cotton and potato crops. The chemical was diluted in an organic solvent, which authorities discovered to be n-hexane. During the journey, the poor condition of the road between Ubate and Chiquinquira caused a cardboard box containing the glass jars to fall onto the sacks of flour. The lethal liquid leaked into the food supply.
A strong smell was reported by the driver’s assistant
Vargas’ assistant reportedly mentioned a strong smell coming from the cargo, but the driver attributed the odor to a fuel leak he had detected in the truck days earlier.
Upon arrival at the Nutibara bakery, owned by Aurelio Fajardo, the contaminated flour was used to make bread. One employee complained of the strong smell emanating from the dough, but continued working. He would eventually become one of the fatalities. The bread was sold to families for breakfast, particularly for children attending school closing ceremonies that day.
Symptoms appeared shortly after consumption. Victims suffered from fainting, respiratory distress, and generalized pain. The San Salvador hospital, which was staffed by only three doctors, was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of patients.
Government officials, led by Health Minister Antonio Ordoñez Plaja, arrived in the town by noon. While authorities initially suspected contamination of the Suarez River, which supplied the local aqueduct, thin-layer chromatography tests conducted by the Ministry of Health confirmed the bread was the vector for the poison. Antidotes were dispatched from cities across Colombia and abroad.
Boyaca’s governor’s office covered burial costs for many victims of the Chiquinquira poisoning
The casualty count overwhelmed the local cemetery. Due to the economic status of many affected families, the Governor’s office of Boyaca covered the burial costs. Survivors faced long-term health issues, including chronic pain and motor coordination problems.
Following the investigation, both the driver, Vargas, and the bakery owner, Fajardo, were detained but eventually released. They subsequently left Chiquinquira to live in Bogota.
The bakery closed the day after the incident permanently. The tragedy eventually led the Ministry of Agriculture to impose strict regulations on the commercialization of Folidol, which was restricted throughout the national territory in 1991.