Credits Donna Ward is a trading standards officer with Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards. To share this page, click on in the toolbar You might also like Unsafe and legal – March 2015 Performance-enhancing drugs In this feature l online sales l social media l students Improving your physical health at the gym is a commendable activity, but taking the banned performance-enhancing and weight-reducing drug 2.4 Dinitrophenol (DNP) is placing your life at risk and could easily end up being fatal. This is the message being put out by trading standards in Buckinghamshire and Surrey during a campaign that was launched in November. Beer mats with the message ‘Would you play Russian Roulette with DNP?’ are being given to students and distributed in student union bars – targeting the age group that officers say is most at risk. The message is being reinforced by social media. Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards officers have visited universities and colleges in both counties, to raise awareness of the dangers of consuming the drug and to reinforce the message by chatting to students. DNP is thought to be used by people to lose weight as part of fat-burning, body-building programmes – but, in the long term, its effects can damage the heart and nervous system. Recent figures published in the government’s Health Protection Report indicate that more than 30 complex cases in the UK – five of which were fatal – were referred to the National Poisons Information Service between January and September this year. A rising number The Buckinghamshire and Surrey campaign comes after a rise in the number of deaths, nationally, from DNP poisoning in the past five years – up from zero in 2011. Among them were 28-year-old Sean Cleathero, from High Wycombe, who died in hospital after taking DNP powder in a local gym in October 2012, and Chesham student Sarah Houston, who died a month earlier from a DNP dose while studying at the University of Leeds. The campaign also follows the death, in 2013, of student Sarmad Alladin, who died from a DNP dose. He attended Surrey’s University for the Creative Arts, and was a fitness enthusiast. I believe the sale and supply of DNP for consumption is illegal. It’s most definitely unsafe for human consumption, yet it is clear from the figures provided that it’s being sold illegally – mainly online – as an aid to help with weight loss. Our aim is to reach the young people – many of them students – who are most at risk of being tempted to use DNP, with the message that this is a potential killer. Trading standards officers are investigating suspicions that some illegal sellers are scammers, who insist that buyers pay by bank or cash transfer – or pay on delivery. Sean Cleathero’s mother, Sharon Ayres, welcomes the trading standards campaign and says she hopes it will help to save lives. ‘I do hope this makes people think twice before taking DNP,’ she says. ‘I’m gobsmacked that anyone has the morals to sell what is really a poison – for human consumption. It’s only when someone dies that we sit up and take notice of the dangers of DNP, and I sincerely hope this campaign makes people much more aware that this is a big deal – it’s about people’s lives.’ Martin Phillips, Buckinghamshire County Council cabinet member for community engagement and public health, adds: ‘Five deaths this year from taking these drugs is five too many. ‘I want to make sure those at risk of being sucked into this illegal trade are well aware of the dangers, and warned off.’ Five people died in 2015 after taking the banned drug DNP. Donna Ward explains how trading standards is stepping in to help Dicing death with Donna Ward with trading standards volunteer Community Champion, Naimamae Baxxhus DNP – know the facts It is illegal to supply or sell DNP for consumption in the UK under the Food Safety Act 1990. However, recent figures published in the Health Protection Report (HPR) indicate that more than 30 complex cases were referred to the National Poisons Information Service (HPR, volume 9, issue 36) between 1 January and 17 September 2015, of which five were fatal. Taking small amounts over a long period can result in long-term side effects, including: cataracts, skin lesions, and damage to the heart and nervous system. The drug has also been linked with cancer and an increased risk of birth defects in children. The warning signs of DNP poisoning include: hot, dry skin; excessive thirst; sweating; abnormally fast heartbeat; and rapid breathing. If DNP poisoning is suspected, it is advised that people seek immediate assistance by calling 999. White capsules bought as a test purchase online by trading standards, which may contain DNP Some illegal sellers are scammers, insisting buyers pay by bank or cash transfer, – or pay on delivery.