Zimbabwean ghetto youths are now extracting liquid from used and disposed sanitary pads and baby diapers to supplement the shortage of drugs in the market, iHarare is reliably informed.

Sanitary pads and diapers alike contain Sodium Polyacrylate which is used as an absorbent.

This is a sodium salt of polyacrylic acid with the chemical formula [−CH₂−CH−]ₙ, and dissolves once boiled.

The chemical content in these is then drank, mixed with broncleer or injected into the system together with other injectable drugs found in the street.

As horrible as it sounds, ghetto youths insist this is the best drug in the market so far.

Ever since Zimbabwe closed borders with South Africa, there has been a shortage of drugs coming into the country. One widely used liquid drug is broncleer – a medical syrup containing alcohol and codeine.

One ghetto youth who spoke to iHarare on condition of anonymity said he was pushed by the shortage of drugs in the ghetto.

Used sanitary pads and used diapers, on the other hand, are readily available in the streets, he said.

Failure for the city fathers to provide service delivery and collect refuse from the city’s high residential areas has come as a blessing for them.

Speaking about the extraction procedure, iHarare was told that diapers are prefered to sanitary pads for obvious reasons – they are big, and contain more Sodium Polyacrylate than sanitary pads.

And no, it is never about the disgusting contents in them.

These are then torn, Sodium Polyacrylate removed and the cloth-like material thrown away.

Sodium Polyacrylate is then washed in water to remove “any dirt”, after which it gets boiled with little or no water.

Because of its horrible taste, sugar and milk are sometimes added to the concoction.

When boiled, the mixture is semi-liquid and has a strong smell.

According to various Zimbabwean material safety data sheets (SDS), Sodium Polyacrylate is totally safe, but if inhaled, it may irritate the airways and cause lung irritation with prolonged exposure.

Boiled sodium polyacrylate, like many other drugs, may be hazardous to health and cause long term illnesses.