Poisonous substances in food items alarming, opines official Caution raised against use of pesticides

Imphal, March 02 2012: Cautioning the general public that consumption of vegetable items and local fish products could pose health threats due to excessive use of pesticide and other poisonous substances in growing/catching consumable items, a top official of the Director of Health Services said relevant measures have been initiated to test some food items at reputed laboratories outside Manipur.

Interacting with The Sangai Express, Deputy Food Safety Commissioner Brojendro Khaba Meitei said recent enmasse detection of dead fishes on the eastern corner of Loktak Lake at Phoubakchao area is a grim reminder that the fishing community do not care for the safety of the consumers.

Referring to the discovery of an empty can of the banned Hildan pesticide from Phoubakchao area where large number of dead fishes were found floating, the Commissioner construed that the incident is a grim reminder of threat posed to the consumers.

Asserting that similar hazardous items are being applied by the local farmers for speedy growth and maturing of vegetables which all the consumers are not aware of, he said for confirmation of harmful items in food items, particularly fish, samples of fresh and dried fishes, including fermented fish (Ngari) would be referred for testing at Kolkatabased laboratories.

A floating dead fish on Loktak lake and inset a can of pesticide found nearby-File

Ruing absence of an effective testing mechanism in Manipur for the equipment available with the Directorate of Health Services is not reliable due to obscurity of the machinery, Brojendro also opined that as leaving local fish variety out of the menu is the only option left for the consumers, ultimately it will be the fishing community who will suffer the most.

With regard to the Phoubakchao case, he said a Food Safety team of the Public Health Services went to assess the condition of the dead fishes which are in the possession of the Loktak Development Authority but found that all were and found that all were highly decomposed due to which no test was suggested for it would lack precision.

Brojendro, nevertheless, concluded that discovery of the Hildan can at the fishing area is hard evidence of poisonous substances used by fishermen as one of the easiest means to catch fish without realising harmful consequences of such fishes could have on the consumer/s.Claiming that some fishermen of Phoubakchao area approached the Directorate to conduct awareness programme on a wider scale against usage of poisonous substances to catch fish, the Deputy Commissioner warned that if arrested using the banned Hildan pesticide one could face jail term for life along with Rs 5 lakh penalty under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 .

Describing use of harmful pesticides in consumer items as a form of biological warfare, he suggested that the local populace remain vigil at their respective fishing zones to prevent.

Brojendro also quoted findings of subject experts that consumption of vegetables grown or matured with the use of pesticide will be safe only after a lapse of 21 days from the last application but regretted that most of the locally grown vegetables reach the market a few days after pesticides have been applied/sprayed.

On the health hazards posed by Hildan, he said Endosulfan content in the pesticide might result in deformities of the limbs, neurological problems, mental disorder, stunted growth, miscarriage in pregnant women, respiratory infection, serious skin diseases, etc.

The official further maintained that process was initially underway to refer fish samples recovered from Phoubakchao area to a Kolkata laboratory but the same had to be dropped due to highly decomposed nature of the fishes.