LOC21:05
18:05 GMT
PARIS, May 5 (KUNA) -- The Interpol Tuesday issued a warning alert on health risks regarding an illegal drug for weight loss called 2,4-dinitrophenol, also known as DNP.
The warning was triggered by the death of a woman in Britain and critical conditions to a French man who was hospitalized after taking an unspecified amount of DNP.
In a statement, the Interpol said in its orange notice bulletin that the warning on drug substance, which is also used for explosives material when it returned to original form, was based on a request by the Central Office for Environment and Health Protection Agency, an office branch of the French Interior Ministry.
The statement added that the substance is sold in the form of yellow powder or in capsules and is available in the form of lotion, stressing that apart from multiple risks associated with taking it, there is an issue of illegal manufacturing.
"We are appreciative that INTERPOL has issued this global warning on DNP," World-Anti Doping Agency (WADA) Director General David Howman was quoted as saying.
"This is a perfect example of how crucial it is that law enforcement and anti-doping organizations continue to forge closer ties so that dangerous, and potentially fatal, substances such as DNP do not reach the hands of athletes," added Howman. (end)
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