NAFDAC Raises Alarm Over, Hawking Of Drugs, Ripening Fruits With Calcium Carbide
By Dominic OKOH
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has cautioned members of the public to desist from procuring drugs from hawkers and consuming foods that has been ripened with calcium carbide.
The agency gave the warning in Uyo during its Media Sensitization workshop on dangers of drug hawking and ripening of fruits with calcium carbide.
The workshop was packaged ,for the Members of Association of Health Journalists, South South zone of the country.
Speaking at the workshop, Leonard Omokpariola, the director Chemical evaluation and research at the Agency in a presentation titled "Dangers of Artificially Ripening Fruits with Calcium Carbides" listed the dangers associated with the use of the substance.
In his words, "The use of this substance is really getting popularity that is why we have opted to embark on this sensitization,before now, it was just being used for just few fruits but right now it is getting a wider dimension."
"Maybe as a result of economic issues in the country, a lot of people do not allow their fruits to ripen before they harvest them and because of the transport infrastructure and the challenge of moving things from the rural area to the urban area this problem is really increasing."
He explained that "Calcium Carbide breaks down all the essential nutrients, micro nutrients, minerals and vitamins inside the food and thereby converting them into other toxic chemicals in those fruits.
"In addition, the carbide itself has two poisonous substances that is arcenic and phorsperous which causes cancer, liver damage that is why we came out to stop the use of these substances under any circumstances."
"Those who use these things are committing murder and creating all sorts of problem for our people because when they take these things they become sick and some get cancer which is very expensive to treat.
'Foods that are ripened by calcium carbide have a lot of features like dusty particles in it as if they buried them inside ashes, secondly such foods, the outside will be yellowish and the main part of it will remain unripe like banana you will not be able to remove the peel completely, you will remove the peel and part of it will remain sticky on the main banana meaning it has been ripened by calcium carbide.
"If it is mango you will see some black patches and it will look as if they poured hot water on it and that is how to notice that the fruit has been ripened by calcium carbide", he said.
On his part, Francis Ononiwu, the director Investigation and Enforcement who was represented by his deputy Dr. Christiana Ezenwa outlined the effect of drug hawking in a paper titled "The Menace Of Drug Hawking in Nigeria".
He stated that street vending of drugs is a menace in Nigeria and the drug hawker erroneously claims to know everything.
He maintained that "The business leads those who patronize them to an early grave as those who sell the drugs are merchants of death.
"Majority of drugs they hawk are prescription drugs which usually requires the advise of a specialist.
"Things being hawked are nothing but poison because when exposed to the elements of the weather, the drugs will be reduced to nothing.
"38% of Nigerians are non literates and majorly form the ignorant class of people who patronize drug hawkers", he said.
