Why you must avoid fruits ripened with calcium carbide

A consultant family physician, Dr Abdulrahim Abdulrashed, has said the use of calcium carbide, a chemical with carcinogenic properties, to force fruits to ripen is injurious to human health. Abdulrashed, a physician at NISA Premier Hospital, who said that consuming fruits ripened with the use of carbide could causes heart, kidney and liver failures, urged […]

A consultant family physician, Dr Abdulrahim Abdulrashed, has said the use of calcium carbide, a chemical with carcinogenic properties, to force fruits to ripen is injurious to human health.

Abdulrashed, a physician at NISA Premier Hospital, who said that consuming fruits ripened with the use of carbide could causes heart, kidney and liver failures, urged government to take necessary action to check the unhealthy practice.

The medical doctor made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

According to him, calcium carbide is a chemical compound that is industrially used in the production of calcium Cyanamid for fertiliser and also in welding iron.

“The chemical is very dangerous and its consumption is deadly because it contains traces of arsenic and phosphorus, both of which have dangerous effects on the human body and could lead to organophosphate poisoning.

“The process of ripening fruits with chemicals by some unscrupulous traders should be of concern to government because of its health, social and economic implications on the society at large.

“We need to do something fast and stop toying with the future of this country,’’ he warned.

Also, Mrs. Bodurin Olusoga, a pharmacist, described the practice of producing or selling toxic fruit items or use of preservatives on raw food by some unscrupulous traders as dangerous and evil.

According to her, it is unfortunate that people are consuming chemically ripened fruits due to lack of awareness about health hazards associated with it.

Olusoga advised the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the media to commence sensitisation of Nigerians to refrain from the use of carbide to ripen fruits and educate consumers on the health implications.

She also advised fruits sellers to desist from the habit of washing fruits with detergents because “it is dangerous to human health.”

Daily Trust had earlier reported how some fruit sellers used carbide to ripen fruits for sale to unsuspecting consumers thereby endangering the lives of the people.

Daily Trust’s investigations carried out At Zuba International Market, had showed that hardly will one find fruits (mostly mangoes, oranges and bananas) that were free of calcium carbide in the market.

Indication of carbide use was everywhere in the market; fresh application was visible and the powdered chemical was spread everywhere at the mango selling spots.

A report by Daily Trust on the issue, however elicited swift response from the Nigerian Fruits Sellers Association, which immediately took steps toward curbing the application of carbide across fruits markets in the country.

Shefiu M. Yahaya, the chairman, Zuba Fruits Market branch of the association, said not until they saw the report, most of them never knew it had negative consequences on the health of consumers, adding that if they had prior knowledge they would not have allowed it because they too would be affected

He said the union had proscribed the use of carbide by members and a taskforce was setup to check erring members.

But the proscription does not seem to be working because latest investigation by the News Agency of Nigeria shows that Garki Market in Abuja and Orange Market in Nasarawa State are still being flooded with varieties of fruits and vegetables that were chemically ripened.

How to detect fruits ripened with calcium carbide

Experts have said that the ultimate way of detecting a fruit that has been artificially ripened by calcium carbide is by laboratory analysis, but an ordinary person can distinguish artificially ripened fruits from those naturally ripened by noting the brownish dark spots on naturally ripened fruits but which are absent on artificially ripened ones.

Artificially ripened fruits may also have some powdery substance because at times some sellers don’t even bother to wash them well. They are also smooth and glittery, so those are just some simple observations, one of the experts advised.