Beware of \\\'white poison\\\'

Most of the family dairy owners in rural areas of the country are now engaged in adulteration of their cow milk. A national Bangla daily reported last week that alone in Pabna and Sirajganj districts more than 50 thousand litres of spurious milk and Ghee are being produced everyday and sent to different Arathdars (wholesalers) for sale. This adulterated milk, Ghee and all other products prepared from it also find their way into many districts across the country.
The daily reported that a mobile court led by Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Santhia conducted a drive in village Tethulia Duttapara and found a factory producing counterfeit milk. The court realised a fine of Taka 2,00,000 from the factory owner Abdur Rashid.
Earlier, on November 19 last the mobile court detected factories in Fechuan and Motka villages producing fake milk. The mobile court imposed a fine of Taka 1,00,000 on factory owners of Fechuan and Taka 1,10,000 of Motka villages. The owners confessed to the magistrate that they sell their product to the chilling centres run by a big company of Bangladesh. They also disclosed the name of the company.
Again on December 11 a mobile court led by UNO of Bera in a raid conducted in village Haturia recovered the equipment used for preparing adulterated milk. The court also seized a sizable quantity of the 'white liquid' from the factory.
Despite drives by mobile courts, adulteration of milk and milk products continues unabated. The local farmers' families owning two to three cows each in different villages of Sirajganj and Pabna districts produce large quantities of adulterated milk and carry it in jars and cans to various rural markets. This milk and its products reach far flung areas including cities and towns all over the country. This adulterated milk is also used in making sweetmeats, curd and many other food items.
The dairy owners in villages liberally mix urea, detergents, caustic soda and formalin in small quantity of pure milk and add large volume of water to produce white liquid in bulk and supply it to designated Arathdars as fresh milk. This practice has been continuing for a long time.
Some say, as we reported earlier in this column, probably our villagers have learnt the art of faking milk from their 'brothers' in India. A study conducted in milk market in New Delhi had quoted Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) as saying that 70 per cent of the milk sampled in Delhi was adulterated. Acknowledging rampant adulteration in loose milk a family dairy owner in New Delhi said that he sells milk for Rs 42 a litre but retailers who buy from him sell it for Rs 32 which shows the retailers dilute it with water and use detergent or urea. Shopkeepers who sell loose milk in Delhi said that the demand for packaged milk had increased after adulteration rackets were unearthed in last few years. A shopkeeper informed that a few years ago adulterators were caught while mixing urea in milk at a village. He said that people really buy loose milk these days.
About the health hazards, a medical scientist in Delhi says that the risks of drinking adulterated milk range from an upset stomach to cancer. Babies or children regularly given adulterated milk can develop a variety of health conditions. A noted Indian paediatrician says that an infant weaned on cattle milk may remain malnourished if the milk is diluted with water.  "Milk adulterated with urea will lead to vomiting, nausea and loose motion; detergents, vegetable fat and caustic soda can even lead to cancer in the long run. It can cause liver damage, heart problems and damage to the mucous membrane of the food pipe," the paediatrician said.
Steps taken so far in Dhaka city and elsewhere in the country by the authorities concerned to protect public health from serious hazards arising out of consuming adulterated food and drinks could hardly make any headway. Almost every food item---fruits, vegetables, milk, fish, egg and spices, etc. -- are being adulterated by a section of unscrupulous people. A variety of vegetables at growers' level get contaminated in the field. In rural areas the farmers use poisonous pesticides and harmful chemical fertilizers in their crop fields. In many places the integrated paste management programme run by the Directorate of Agricultural Extension (DAE) for the last few years has failed to make any remarkable progress.
The poisonous pesticides and chemical fertilizers reach the country from across the border in large quantities. These are sold at cheaper rates which attract the growers to use the substances to protect and nourish their crops in the fields.
Experts say ignorance and easy availability of harmful pesticides and fertilizers encourage farmers to apply those on the crops.
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