This picture of a smiling 7-year-old child was taken just minutes before his tragic death. And to his mother’s absolute horror, she would review the picture and quickly realize that she had inadvertently captured the image of his killer as well.
Losing a child is one of the most painful experiences anyone can go through; and when it could have been avoided, the pain seems unbearable. Sadly, Marlene Bitencourt has learned this lesson the hard way and wants to use her son’s last photo as a warning for all parents around the world.
Arthur Bitencourt was only 7 years old when he passed away due to an invisible killer that his family had unknowingly exposed him to. The family posted a seemingly harmless picture on social media of Arthur playing in what looked like snow but was actually limestone dust.
His parents were not aware of how dangerous this substance was until it was too late – minutes after taking the photo, Arthur ended up in the hospital with breathing trouble and was declared dead on arrival.
In its pebble form, limestone poses no harm or danger whatsoever however, once it is crushed into powder form, it becomes incredibly hazardous due to its composition of crystalline silica (quartz). If this powdered form remains undisturbed then there are few dangers associated with it; but if stirred up then silicosis can develop which is irreversible and potentially fatal if inhaled into your lungs over time.
Additionally, skin irritation or even eye damage can occur if you come in contact with limestone dust directly – these conditions can be milder but still require medical attention if left unchecked for too long.
Police began investigating Arthur’s death immediately after being made aware by his family and eventually concluded that this tragedy was an unfortunate mistake caused by lack of awareness. Despite this conclusion many people took to social media accusing Arthur’s parents of negligence under the belief that everyone should know about how dangerous crushed limestone can be – while others admitted they themselves did not know before learning about Arthur’s death from news outlets online.
In any case, a life has been lost needlessly which makes us all pause for thought and consider what we don’t know about our environment we may take for granted as safe every day.
