From water cans to artificially ripened mangoes, the Food Safety Department officials have been seizing adulterated products that are being sold in the market. These adulterated items, doctors warn, could cause serious health problems.
Chennai:
“There are adulterants in oil and ghee that can be carcinogenic, and if inedible oil is added as adulterant, it could pose a major risk of liver damage, cardiac issues and even paralysis,” said senior oncologist Dr Anitha Ramesh. Recently, 4,500 kg of artificially ripened mangoes were seized and destroyed by the Food Safety department at Koyambedu market and Ashok Nagar. The fruits were artificially ripened by exposing them to calcium carbide. In addition, artificial colouring agents are used to provide attractive colour and increase the shelf life of fruits and vegetables.
For ripening fruits, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has permitted the use of ethylene gas using ethephone in powder form, without being directly exposing the fruits to it. However, the vendors continue to use calcium carbide that leads to the formation of acetylene gas and cause hypoxia.
“Artificially ripening fruits and vegetables using calcium carbide can be very harmful to health. When calcium carbide comes in contact with moisture, it leads to the production of a gas which helps ripening. However, it can be very harmful to health. It can affect the nervous system and can also cause high blood pressure and damage kidneys,” said food safety expert and food consultant S Chander.
Harmful chemicals such as erythrosine-B that are injected can cause tumours, thyroid and reproductive system-related abnormalities, added Chander.
Dietitian Dharani Krishnan said that adulterants in spices are difficult to be separated from the spices. These, she warned, can lead to liver disorders. “The adulterants can reach the blood stream and harm liver, kidney and heart. Various chemical adulterants such as lead chromate can reach the internal organs and damage them in the long run,” she added.
According to experts, the threat to health is not posed only by artificially ripened fruits but also spices such as pepper and turmeric that are adulterated using papaya seeds and lead chromate. Because, while there are adulterants that are edible, there ones such as calcium carbide, lead chromate and erythrosine B that are harmful if consumed over a longer period of time.
“There are adulterants in oil and ghee that can be carcinogenic, and if inedible oil is added as adulterant, it could pose a major risk of liver damage, cardiac issues and even paralysis,” said senior oncologist Dr Anitha Ramesh. Recently, 4,500 kg of artificially ripened mangoes were seized and destroyed by the Food Safety department at Koyambedu market and Ashok Nagar. The fruits were artificially ripened by exposing them to calcium carbide. In addition, artificial colouring agents are used to provide attractive colour and increase the shelf life of fruits and vegetables.
For ripening fruits, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has permitted the use of ethylene gas using ethephone in powder form, without being directly exposing the fruits to it. However, the vendors continue to use calcium carbide that leads to the formation of acetylene gas and cause hypoxia.
“Artificially ripening fruits and vegetables using calcium carbide can be very harmful to health. When calcium carbide comes in contact with moisture, it leads to the production of a gas which helps ripening. However, it can be very harmful to health. It can affect the nervous system and can also cause high blood pressure and damage kidneys,” said food safety expert and food consultant S Chander.
Harmful chemicals such as erythrosine-B that are injected can cause tumours, thyroid and reproductive system-related abnormalities, added Chander.
Dietitian Dharani Krishnan said that adulterants in spices are difficult to be separated from the spices. These, she warned, can lead to liver disorders. “The adulterants can reach the blood stream and harm liver, kidney and heart. Various chemical adulterants such as lead chromate can reach the internal organs and damage them in the long run,” she added.