Eight children from a private preschool in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋) who tested positive for sedatives were found to have low levels of phenobarbital in their bloodstream, New Taipei City Deputy Mayor Liu He-jan (劉和然) said yesterday.
Since May 14, the parents of 17 students at the preschool have said that their children might have been drugged by teachers, as their children were behaving abnormally. Eight children subsequently tested positive for traces of sedatives.
The New Taipei City Government yesterday morning held a news conference on its handling of the case.
Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
Six children had phenobarbital concentration levels of 1 to 1.5 micrograms per milliliter (mcg/ml) in their bloodstreams, one child had a level of 1.5 to 2.0 mcg/ml, and another had a level of 3.0 to 3.5 mcg/ml, Liu said.
The minimum detection level is 1.0 mcg/ml, and the normal therapeutic range for adults is about 10 to 40 mcg/ml, so the phenobarbital levels found in the eight children were considered low, he said.
Phenobarbital falls under a class of drugs called barbiturates. It is used for sedation and to treat epilepsy and insomnia.
Kao Shu-chen (高淑真), deputy commissioner of New Taipei City’s Department of Health, said prosecutors are investigating the source of the drug.
Phenobarbital can be found in some cold medicines and sedatives, said Liu Chun-hao (劉君豪), a health department section chief.
Prosecutors would look into the medical records of the children and their family members when investigating the source, Liu He-jan said, adding that the city government hopes prosecutors will work quickly to resolve parents’ concerns.
Since the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Thursday announced that its Taipei Hospital would provide free testing, follow-ups and treatment for children linked to the case, 90 phone calls had been received and 26 children had sought medical attention, Hospital and Social Welfare Organizations Administration Commission Director Lin Ching-feng (林慶豐) said yesterday.
The 26 children had their urine tested for nine types of drugs, including barbiturates, he said, adding that 14 of their test results came back yesterday evening.
The 14 children — four who had attended the preschool and 10 from other branches of the preschool — tested negative for the nine substances, but two were anxious and agitated, so would be further assessed by pediatricians, Lin said.
The remaining 12 results were expected to come back by today at the earliest, he said.
Asked if hair drug tests would be conducted, Lin said there are only three facilities, including Taipei Veterans’ General Hospital, that conduct such tests in Taiwan, but if the parents consent to handing over a hair specimen, it could be used for testing when needed.
New Taipei City’s Education Department has revoked the preschool’s license.
New Taipei City Education Department Commissioner Chang Ming-wen (張明文) said that of the 67 children at the preschool, 25 had already transferred to other schools.
Options were being looked at for the remaining 42, Chang said.
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