The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control(NAFDAC) has warned the public that eating fruits that have been ripened with calcium carbide and purchasing drugs from street vendors carry a significant risk of death.
NAFDAC’s director general, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye said this on Tuesday during the keynote address she gave at the media sensitization workshop on the “Dangers of Drug Hawking and Ripening of Fruits with Calcium Carbide,” which was held in Awka, the capital of Anambra State.
Adeyeye claimed that the chemicals in calcium carbide were dangerous for unborn babies and young children and would cause seizures, excessive sleepiness, headaches, dizziness, mood swings, mental confusion, and memory loss.
NAFDAC organized the program for the Association of Nigerian Health Journalists, South-East Zone, with the goal of educating locals about the risks and dangers associated with such acts.
Director of Chemical Evaluation and Research for NAFDAC, Dr. Leonard Omokpariola, who attended the event in Adeyeye’s place, read her speech.
She said, “The consumption of fruits ripened with calcium carbide may cause cancer, heart failure, kidney failure, and liver failure and we must avoid such.
“Calcium carbide generally contained impurities such as arsenic, lead particles, phosphorus, and others that pose several serious health hazards.
‘Fruits ripened with calcium carbide could cause frequent thirst, irritation in mouth and nose, weakness, permanent skin damage, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting, and skin ulcer.
“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.”
The DG noted that since 2019, the agency had taken a number of decisive actions, including educating the public through various media channels, enforcing laws through intelligence, and conducting raids in fruit markets that resulted in the seizure and destruction of illegal goods.
She continued by saying that the agency had commissioned a scientific investigation to determine the best strategy for reducing the health risks associated with the use of carbides in the ripening of fruits.
“The artificial ripening of fruits quality would lead to the considerable loss of properties such as colour, taste and feel, and such practice does not give the natural aroma and flavour to the fruits,