Basra poison grain disaster

The Basra posion grain disaster was a mass wheat that was intended as seed grain arrived that had been treated with antifungal methylmercury to prevent rot. The grain was intended to be delivered to farmers and had been marked as poisonous both by dying the grain pink and with warnings printed on the bags. The warnings were printed only in English and Spanish, however, and before the grain could be delivered a large quantity was stolen from the docks and sold as food to the local population.