Bethany Shipsey: Parents welcome toxic DNP reclassification to poison

Robin Walker (left) with Andrius Gerbutavicicas and the Shipseys said it was a huge relief to know DNP would be banned

The parents of a woman who died after taking an overdose of diet pills containing DNP say they welcome its reclassification as poison.

Bethany Shipsey, 21, died in 2017 after taking the pills which contain the chemical compound dinitrophenol (DNP).

The industrial chemical is sold illegally as a fat-burning substance.

Her parents, who say it has caused 33 deaths in 10 years, have campaigned for a ban and met the government on Monday who confirmed the new legislation.

Although banned for human consumption, DNP is easily available online.

Carol and Doug Shipsey said they were "extremely pleased" with how the meeting with Security Minister Tom Tugendhat went, but said had it been in place earlier their daughter would still be alive.

"We got a better result than we actually anticipated," Mr Shipsey said.

"There was a big question in our mind why DNP wasn't going to be banned outright and following a detailed discussion with Tom Tugendhat and his team who work on the poison legislation, what they have actually clarified to us is legislation which goes on in October this year amounts to a complete ban - meaning it's totally illegal for all uses, including any industrial uses.

"We think this will stop DNP becoming widely available over the internet and we don't ever foresee there will ever be some industrial uses because we didn't find any ourselves, so we do agree this is a complete ban."

Bethany Shipsey died in 2017 and a narrative verdict was recorded at her inquest in 2018

Fifteen people had died from DNP since their daughter's death, said Mrs Shipsey.

Mr Shipsey said: "There's no obvious reason other than to apologise for that happening.

"It shouldn't have happened, basically. It shouldn't have taken all that time and 33 deaths to act but at least now we've got the result that we wanted."

What is DNP?

It is highly toxic and not intended for human consumption.

An industrial chemical, it is sold illegally in diet pills as a fat-burning substance.

Users experience a metabolism boost, leading to weight loss, but taking even a few tablets can be fatal.

Signs of acute poisoning include nausea, vomiting, restlessness, flushed skin, sweating, dizziness, headaches, rapid respiration and irregular heartbeat.

Consuming lower amounts over longer periods could lead to cataracts and skin lesions and impact on the heart, blood and nervous system.

Experts say buying drugs online is risky as medicines may be fake, out of date or extremely harmful.

DNP, or 2,4-dinitrophenol, was classified as a poison until 1996.

Mr Shipsey said concerns around DNP were first mentioned by David Cameron 10 years ago when he was prime minister so to wait now until October for new legislation was not too much longer.

Algorithms on the internet will be changed to stop people being able to find it through the new legislation, which would have saved his daughter's life had it been in place, he said.

"If this legislation had been in a lot earlier, she'd have still been with us today," he said.

Andrius Gerbutavicicas, from Harrow, said he had also been campaigning for the law to change after losing his son Vaidotas in 2018 after he took 20 pills and told a police officer "he felt like his body was burning".

The risks of DNP had not been circulated around the London Ambulance Service at the time of Vaidotas Gerbutavicius' death

But he said the news from the minister was "emotionally overwhelming" adding that he was relieved "something is happening and hopefully for the better".

Worcester MP Robin Walker, who had been supporting the Shipseys, said it had been through "phenomenal persistence" that campaigning by parents had achieved the result.

"But it has taken too long and we saw a very frank admission form the minister today that that was the case. He was very honest about that," he said.

"It's a huge relief though now that this ban will be in place not just on sales, but of anyone importing it, possessions of DNP - it is a very strict ban.

"The way the Poisons Act works means there is the ability for somebody if they've got a legitimate use, to go to the Home Office, but there aren't any legitimate uses."