The Management of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigeriansaboutn the dangers of consumption of contaminated foods and artificially-ripened fruits, as it said that an estimated 600m cases of food-borne illnesses annually occur globally with an estimated 420,000 people dying through it.
The agency under its Director General, Prof. Christianah Adeyeye, disclosed this yesterday in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, during a sensitization workshop organized for journalists in the South Western part of Nigeria, held at the House of Chiefs, Agodi Government Secretariat…..CONTINUE READING
The workshop which had in attendance some officials pf NAFDAC and other stakeholders in the health sector had the theme: “Dangers of Drug Hawking and Ripening of Fruits with Carbide”. Nigerians were sensitized to the dangers inherent in just buying and consuming any type of fruits or drugs that attract them through their colour, noting that many of such are “hemlock” disguised for profit- making by the unscrupulous elements in the society, to kill unsuspecting consumers in installments.
Speaking on behalf of the DG on the topic: “Food Safety Concerns: Unethical Practices”, Mrs Edward Eva, (Director, Food Safety and Applied Nutrition), said: “There are estimated 600m cases of foodborne illnesses annually, globally. An estimated 420,000 people around the world die every year after eating contaminated foods (preventable deaths). Children under 5 years of age carry 40% of the food-borne disease burden with 125, 000 deaths every year.
“Consumption of unsafe food accounts for approximately 132,000 deaths and about 91m cases of acute food-borne diseases on an annual basis in Africa, the highest estimates worldwide. Despite the lack of reliable and accurate data, over 200,000 people including under 5 children reportedly die annually from the consumption of contaminated foods.
“These food-borne diseases affect disproportionally the most vulnerable of the society, the infants, young children (under-five), pregnant women, the elderly, and immuno-compromised people”, she said.
In his contribution on behalf of Prof. Adeyeye also, Mr. Omokpariola Patrick Leonard (Director of Chemical Evaluation and Research) warned of the danger of using calcium carbide to ripen fruits and paracetamol to tenderize meat. He said that “artificially- ripened fruits generally contain impurities such as arsenic, lead particles, phosphorus, etc., that pose several serious health hazards, the consumption of which contains impurities that may cause cancer, heart, kidney, and liver failure.
“They may also cause frequent thirst, irritation in mouth and nose, weakness, permanent skin damage, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting, skin ulcer, and so forth. Higher exposure may cause undesired fluid build-up in the lungs. Acetylene produced by calcium carbide affects the neurological system and reduces oxygen supply to the brain and further induces prolonged hypoxia”.
He, therefore, warned that “marketed grains or stored grains should not be sprayed with calcium carbide which is explosive in nature and dangerous to human health”.
In attendance also was the President of the Association of Nigerian Health Journalists, Mr. Hassan Zaggi, as well as, Dr. Abubakar Jimoh (Director of Public Affairs, and Pharma. Mathew Adeoye…..CONTINUE READING