The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye said consumption of fruits ripened with calcium carbide may cause cancer, heart failure, kidney failure, and liver failure.

Prof Adeyeye also said fruits ripened with calcium carbide may cause frequent thirst, irritation in the mouth and nose, weakness, permanent skin damage, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting, and skin ulcer.

Adeyeye stated this on Tuesday at the official flag-off of the agency’s media sensitisation workshop on the dangers of drug hawking and ripening of fruits with calcium carbides.

She said the ripening of fruits with carbide is a public challenge and the agency has deployed a multifaceted approach to tackle the menace.

Fruits provide the body with micronutrients that improve immunity and prevent diseases among other benefits. Fruit ripening is a unique aspect of plant development, which makes the fruit edible, softer, sweeter, more palatable, nutritious, and attractive.

“However, the consumption of fruits such as mango, banana, plantain, guava, orange, grape, etc, or any other fruits ripened with calcium carbide is dangerous to health.

“Fruits artificially ripened with calcium carbide may be ripe on the skin, but the inside remains unripe. You can identify such artificially ripened fruits if you notice that the fruits are all yellow whereas the stem is dark, this is true, especially with bananas and plantains. In addition, naturally ripened fruits usually have brown or black spots, while those artificially ripened have traces of powdery substances and peel off quickly,” she said.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has

vowed to prosecute drug hawkers nationwide, saying such drugs are dangerous to the health.

The Director-General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made this known at the launch of NAFDAC Media Sensitisation Workshop On Dangers of Drug Hawking in Abuja on Tuesday.

Adeyeye also reiterated the agency’s readiness to increase surveillance on those using artificial methods in ripening of fruits, and to further prosecute them if caught.

She, however, solicited the cooperation of law enforcement agencies to help in the surveillance to rid the country of dangerous practices.

She said “several national dailies and organisations have raised concern about these dangerous practices — drug hawking and ripening of fruits with calcium carbide.

“This workshop is also a fulfilment of my promise to collaborate with the media to continue to raise awareness about bleaching creams.

“NAFDAC will constantly engage the media on regulatory activities.

“The menace of drug hawking poses serious challenge to the nation; drug hawkers are merchants of death who go around

with drugs full of poison, prescribing to gullible patients.

“Drug hawkers are major distributors of narcotics. They constitute serious threat to national security. Any drug hawker arrested will be prosecuted, we want to put an end to the menace.”

The NAFDAC boss, who also decried the use of carbide to ripen fruits, said that the practice may have effect on the skin.

She added that “fruits ripen with chemicals may also make it to lose colour, taste and the natural aroma, and can cause serious health hazards such as kidney and liver failure.The director-general said the agency is confident in winning the war against the hydra-headed problem.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, on Wednesday in Lagos decried the nefarious activities of drug hawkers nationwide, warning that any hawker arrested by the agency will be prosecuted and will face a jail term.

Announcing this in Lagos, during a sensitisation workshop on Dangers of Drug Hawking and Ripening of Fruits with Carbide” the director general of NAFDC, Prof Christianah Adeyeye said the agency’s enforcement officers are currently carrying out synchronised nationwide operation.

She maintained that no offender will be spared from facing the full wrath of the Law.

Represented by the Director of Chemical Evaluation & Research, Dr Leonard Omokpariola, she explained that the menace of drug hawking poses a serious challenge to Healthcare Delivery System, hence the need to totally eradicate the illicit trade.

Ädeyeye explained that many drug hawkers are knowingly or unknowingly merchants of death who expose essential and life-saving medicines to the vagaries of inclement weather which degrade the active ingredients of the medicine and turn them into poisons thus endangering human lives.

She said: “Most of the drugs sold by the hawkers are counterfeit, substandard or expired, and do not meet the quality, safety and efficacy requirement of regulated medicines. Prescription drugs are also sold by itinerant hawkers who also hold consultations, and recommend and prescribe medicines to their gullible “patients”.

She added that drug hawkers are also the major distributors and suppliers of narcotic medicines to criminal networks such as Armed Bandits, Insurgents, Kidnappers and Armed Robbers and constitute a serious threat to national security.

Adeyeye who also raised the alarm about the indiscriminate ripening of fruits with calcium carbides by many fruit sellers in Nigeria, added that the Agency has deployed a multifaceted approach to tackle the menace.

“Fruits provide the body with micronutrients that improve immunity and prevent diseases among other benefits. However, the consumption of fruits such as mango, banana, plantain, guava, orange, grape, etc or any other fruits ripened with calcium carbide is dangerous to health.

You can identify such artificially ripened fruits if you notice that the fruits are all yellow whereas the stem is dark, this is true especially with banana and plantain. In addition, naturally ripened fruits usually have brown or black spots, while those artificially ripened have traces of powdery substances and peel off quickly.”

She traced the effect of artificial ripening on fruit quality to include considerable loss of properties such as colour, taste and feel, and natural aroma and flavour,

Adeyeye explained that generally contains impurities such as arsenic, lead particles, phosphorus, etc., that pose several very serious health hazards and consumption of fruits containing these impurities 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.

“The impurities are hazardous to pregnant women and children and may lead to headache, dizziness, mood disturbances, mental confusion, memory loss, cerebral oedema (swelling in the brain caused by excessive fluids), sleepiness, seizure etc. Consuming such artificially ripened fruits could result in sleeping disorders, mouth ulcers, skin rashes, kidney problems and possibly even cancer.”

Flowerbudnews

Bauchi: The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC has raised concerns about the dangers of indiscriminate use of Calcium Carbide and other dangerous chemicals to ripen fruits and cautioned those who do such to desist as the action is injurious to Nigerians.

NAFDAC also warned Nigerians on the danger of patronizing hawkers of drugs saying the potency of such drugs has been compromised hence such drugs can cause more harm than solve the problems they ought to solve.

The Director General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye gave the warning at a sensitization programme held in Bauchi, Bauchi State for stakeholders including media practitioners, traders and other.

Prof Adeyeye decried the actions of some fruit sellers who use calcium carbide to ripen their fruits, advised Nigerians to allow fruits to ripen naturally and also patronize drugs sold only in qualified outlets like the pharmacy.

In her keynote address delivered at the North-East Zonal NAFDAC media sensitisation workshop on “Dangers of Drug hawking and Ripening of Fruits with Calcium Carbide,” the DG that “Many drug hawkers are knowingly or unknowingly merchants of death.

Prof Adeyeye was represented at the event by Dr. Leonard Omokpariola, NAFDAC’s Director, Chemical Evaluation and Research.

The NAFDAC Boss lamented that hawkers exposed essential and life-saving medicines to the vagaries of inclement weather which degrade the active ingredients of the medicine and turn them to poisons thus endangering human lives.

“Most of the drugs sold by illiterate and semi-literate drug hawkers are counterfeit, substandard or expired, and therefore do not meet the quality, safety and efficacy requirement of regulated medicines.

”Drug hawkers are also the major distributors and suppliers of narcotic medicines to criminal networks. Drug hawkers constitute a serious threat to our national security.

“Drugs are sensitive life-saving commodities which should not be sold on the streets/motor parks or open markets just like any other article of trade. I wish to warn you that any drug hawker arrested by NAFDAC will be prosecuted, and will face a jail term, and our Enforcement Officers are currently carrying out synchronized nationwide operations. In this regard, we solicit the cooperation and support of all other law enforcement agencies, journalists, and well-meaning Nigerians in riding the country of this harmful and shameful practice.”

On chemicals used in ripening fruits, she added, “Fruits provide the body with micronutrients that improve immunity and prevent diseases among other benefits. Fruit ripening is a unique aspect of plant development, which makes the fruit edible, softer, sweeter, more palatable, nutritious, and attractive. However, the consumption of fruits such as mango, banana, plantain, guava, orange, grape, etc or any other fruits ripened with calcium carbide is dangerous to health.

“Calcium carbide generally contains impurities such as arsenic, lead particles, phosphorus, etc., that pose several very serious health hazards just as consumption of fruits containing these impurities may cause cancer, heart, kidney and liver failure. They may also cause frequent thirst, irritation in the 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 (pulmonary oedema). Acetylene produced by Calcium Carbide affects the neurological system and reduces oxygen supply to the brain and further induces prolonged hypoxia. The impurities are hazardous to pregnant women and children and may lead to headache, dizziness, mood disturbances, mental confusion, memory loss, cerebral oedema (swelling in the brain caused by excessive fluids), sleepiness, seizure etc.

Calcium carbide is alkaline in nature and erodes the mucosal tissue in the abdominal region and disrupts intestinal functions. Consuming such artificially ripened fruits could result in sleeping disorders, mouth ulcers, skin rashes, kidney problems and possibly even cancer. Other symptoms of poisoning include diarrhoea (with or without blood), burning or tingling sensation in the abdomen and chest difficulty in swallowing, irritation in the eyes/skin, sore throat, cough, shortness of breathing, numbness etc.

“It is gratifying to announce that apart from sensitization campaigns and Enforcement activities, NAFDAC has commissioned a scientific study on the best approach towards mitigating the health hazards posed by ripening of fruits with carbides.”

Meanwhile, papers presented by diverse experts reinforced the need to shun the indiscriminate use of chemicals in food and other products. Goodwill messages were received from stakeholders in attendance and media practitioners from Plateau, Bauchi and Gombe States attended the event (Flowerbudnews)