Following the death of Eloise Parry, 21, and a case of a French man falling critically ill after taking it, Interpol has issued what’s called an Orange Notice on DNP, a pesticide sold and being used as a diet pill.
Eloise’s mum has already issued her own warning against the pill after her daughter overheated from the inside – DNP, full name dinitrophenol works by getting the metabolism to speed up. She said: ‘My message would be please don’t, please don’t take this drug. They will take their toll and it is an awful way to die.’
And the warning from Interpol, requested by the French health authorities, says that DNP poses an ‘imminent threat’ to users, reports The Mirror. Though the substance is used in explosives, when it’s sold as a muscle building or weight-loss pill online, it’s often disguised as turmeric (it looks very similar) to get past customs and police officers.
Interpol’s warning reads: ‘Although usually sold in yellow powder or capsule form, DNP is also available as a cream. Besides the intrinsic dangers of DNP, the risks associated with its use are magnified by illegal manufacturing conditions.
‘In addition to being produced in clandestine laboratories with no hygiene regulations, without specialist manufacturing knowledge, the producers also expose consumers to an increased chance of overdose.’
Oof. Seems like some people are literally dying to be thin and others are more than happy to take advantage of that. And it’s got to stop.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.