Two people die in Santiago de Cuba after consuming counterfeit "alum" sold on the streets

Two workers from the University of Santiago de Cuba died after consuming a product sold illegally on the streets as "alumbre," which was actually an industrial bleach stolen from the Mar Verde warehouses, according to the official profile Comunicación Asamblea Santiago Cuba on social media.

Alum, chemically known as potassium aluminum sulfate (KAl(SO₄)₂·12H₂O), is commonly used as a coagulant in water treatment.

Its function is to group and settle suspended particles to clarify the liquid before consumption, but it does not serve to disinfect and should not be ingested directly.

The alert issued by the pro-government profile warns that "unscrupulous elements" have stolen a batch of industrial bleach from the Mar Verde warehouses and are selling it as if it were "alum bleach."

That product, highly toxic, would have caused the deaths of the two university workers and poses a risk to the entire population.

The warning comes in a context of a health emergency in Santiago de Cuba, where the passage of Hurricane Melissa, nearly a month ago, caused significant damage to the hydraulic infrastructure.

Since then, water has been supplied to homes with abundant sediments and a dark brown hue, prompting many residents to resort to using alum in an attempt to clarify it.

However, due to the shortage of the product in state networks, unscrupulous individuals are counterfeiting it and selling it on the streets, taking advantage of the population's needs.

Authorities have urged citizens not to purchase or use "alum" and to go immediately to a health center if they experience symptoms of poisoning or discomfort after consuming water treated with the product.

The incident once again highlights the fragility of the water distribution system and the lack of sanitary control in the eastern provinces, where the crisis following the hurricane has worsened.

Meanwhile, families in Santiago continue to try to purify the murky water that arrives at their homes on their own, amidst the scarcity and lack of official support.

Some resort to methods such as placing fabrics, usually gauze, at the spout or faucet to "strain" the liquid in a makeshift filter.

Others use filters that were sold a few years ago in the currency collection shops, but for some time now, the regime has not been selling replacement parts.

In many cases, they boil them when there is electric current, or they use methods like coal or wood stoves, although this adds an unpleasant taste to the liquid, and in any case, it does not remove the impurities.