Monday | 7 October 2024 | Reg No- 06
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Monday | 7 October 2024 | Epaper

Food adulteration threatens health security

Published : Wednesday, 8 June, 2022 at 12:00 AM  Count : 826
ZUBAIR KHALED HUQ
Food adulteration in various forms has reached an alarming level. Food items like fish, fruits, oils, vegetables, and sweetmeats are adulterated with hazardous chemicals at an alarming pace. Poisonous substances in food items are leaving the worst impacts on people causing cancer, and damaging vital human organs like the liver, kidney, and heart along with affecting children's mental and physical growth. Food adulteration has been happening on a massive scale due to increased investment, expanded market, quick profit and high consumer demand. Greed for fast profit and moral degradation among some unscrupulous food traders have led to today's alarming situation. From grass-roots producers to consumers, food is adulterated on a massive scale. Even we are unaware at times.   

From manufacturer to consumer, by adding poisonous chemicals, unhygienic handling, preservation and making it putrid or decomposed by the consumer food get adulterated. Even the container may be composed of a deleterious substance which is injurious to health. Food is also mixed with another component of inferior quality. Its component is replaced with other undesirable components. Newspaper is used to carry food, having carbon which is toxic to human health and can cause cancer.    

The number of patients suffering from various non-communicable diseases like cancer, diabetes, and kidney diseases are on the rise due to food adulteration. Chemicals used to preserve foodstuffs and the pesticides used in agriculture are making foods adulterated. Though the average age of the people of Bangladesh is increasing, they are getting poisoned by various chemicals. Colouring agents chrome, tart zine, yellow and Sudanred colours and erythrosine are used in spices, sauces, juices, lentils and oils which cause cancer, allergy, and respiratory problems. Carbide used in fish, fruit, meat and milk also cause cancer and liver damage. Besides urea used in puffed rice and rice, Sulphuric acid used in milk and DDT applied in dried fish cast long-term effects like nervous system disorder, depression, asthma, cardiac problems, and liver and kidney damage.    

Contamination with heavy metals is important, particularly in agricultural production systems and human health. People have a right to safe food. And when even staple foods such as poultry and milk are found to be unsafe, it paints a very worrisome picture of food safety in the country. Steps must be taken to avert a public health disaster that our healthcare system is simply not equipped to handle.

The Ministry of Fisheries and livestock and Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution need to continue their job of ensuring quality poultry feed being used by traders. Heavy metals at hazardous levels are commonly found in foodstuffs of Bangladesh, mainly due to the lack of safety guidelines and poor management of industrial effluents. Several lines of evidence suggest that the level of heavy metals in the foodstuffs of Bangladeshis higher than the acceptable limits set by the World Health Organization. Many of us are not aware of lead poisoning. The World Health Organisation is vocal about the issue. Lead is a poisonous substance that enters the body through food and water and also through respiration. It mixes with the blood to affect the liver, kidneys, bones and other organs.

Lead toxicity city has been a subject of interest for environmental scientists due to its toxic effect on plants, animals, and humans. An increase in several Pb related industrial activities and use of Pb containing products such as agrochemicals, oil and paint, mining, etc. can lead to Pb contamination in the environment and thereby, can enter the food chain. Being one of the most toxic heavy metals, Pb ingestion via the food chain has proven to be a potential health hazard for plants and humans. A study found that industrial soils are severely polluted with Pb (7.3-445 mg/kg) in Bangladesh.   

A high Pb concentration has been found in fish and leafy and non-leafy vegetables collected from different places in Bangladesh. Lead contamination was also found in cereals, chicken, duck eggs, cow milk and a host of other foods tested during the research, said the review, adding that Bangladesh is exposed to almost all pathways of lead contamination. A national programme must be taken up to detect lead in the bloodstream. There are need for coordination among the concerned government, non-government and development partners in this regard.   

The season of sweet fruits is coming soon, and the use of carbides indiscriminately is already underway. Fruits ripened by calcium carbide have a good skin colour with high acidity and low sugar content but poorly developed flavour. It can cause various cancers. We should be cautious enough and wash the fruits thoroughly in running tap water. Peel out the skin of fruits. It is better to cut the fruits into pieces.

Try to buy mature fruits directly from growers and ripen them at home in warm temperatures in contact with ripe ones. A study also showed that broiler meat and egg showed the presence of antibiotic residue of various types at a high level. Only stopping indiscriminate antibiotic use in human medicine won't stop deadly antibiotic resistance, since unknowingly it is coming into the food chain. Antibiotic resistance is a dreadful situation and could be beyond our control in no time.

Manpower should be increased in institutes and organizations like BSTI, City corporations. More mobile court should be put into action. Prevailing laws should be applied strongly against culprits. Laboratory facilities for detection of adulterants in foods should be made available in all thanas with properly equipped manpower and machine. The role of media in awareness development is huge.

On the part of consumers, one should be aware enough before purchasing any item. If we feel pestered and helpless, we can contact the consumers association of Bangladesh. Anyone found guilty should be punished under the purview of law and punishment can be made public so that no one dares to be a part of this dishonest and dangerous activity.
DR ZUBAIR KHALED HUQ is Family Medicine, Gerontology, Public Health Specialist     







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