Comprehensive actions to protect people's health
Friday, 20 July 2007
People were inspired by actions on food adulterers and the like by the mobile courts. But the actions have also led to people becoming acutely conscious about how massively they are being targeted by the adulterers. The anti-adulteration drive so far has yielded some impressive results, no doubt. But the concern is now about the sustainability of such actions. The hapless consumers in the country are one in wanting and demanding from the government substantial actions against those who are endangering public health. More than scattered actions, the greatest need now is to carry out a comprehensive campaign to bring to an end to the various mischiefs on a lasting basis.
Why sustained and wider actions are needed can be explained from only these examples. A mobile squad recently cracked down on fish breeding in 13 out of 16 sewer lagoons in Dhaka. The operation against the remaining ones should be completed. Besides, people would like to know what steps have been taken against the concerned personnel who sponsored such fish breeding in the first place, the fish breeders themselves and their local accomplices. These people need to be dealt with in an exemplary manner. But this task is pending. A permanent presence of security forces should also be there to prevent resumption of fish breeding in the sewer lagoons. But this has not happened. Thus, operations should be completed in earnest so that no way is left open for the restart of the crimes.
The mobile court has been detecting the application of the harmful calcium carbide on mangoes in the height of the fruit season this year. Some quantities of mangoes with calcium carbide were detected and destroyed in two or three separate cases. But no assurance is yet there about the practice being stopped entirely as a result. The drive to detect the chemical in various fruits needs to be an extensive and everyday exercise until at least the end of the fruit season. It was reported that textile dyes and formalin are still being applied on a large scale against foods and perishables. The mobile courts have not been provided with adequate instruments to be able to detect some chemicals and dyes, yet, and the adulterers are reportedly exploiting this inability on the part of the former. Such detection instruments in sufficient number do need to be made available to the mobile teams without any further delay.
None knows for certain about which area of consumption remains free from adulteration activities. It would make a very long list if it is tried to mention all of the devious methods used by the adulterers. The offences are widespread and such adulteration activities hold out a serious threat to the health of consumers. One may cite here the case of formalin which is applied on fishes. This can have carcinogenic effects on humans. Similar carcinogenic chemicals are used to keep fruits and vegetables looking fresh. Fertiliser is put on puffed rice to make it look more white and attractive. All kinds of adulterated compounds are found in bottled cooking oils and other oils. Even the cosmetics are not immune . The market remains flooded with such hazardous cosmetics. Thus, only from the above, it should be easy to realise how widespread are the activities of these merchants of death. The same are creating havocs for public health in general. Only hard actions against heinous activities here and there, now and then, are of hardly any use. The problem has to be addressed in its totality, comprehensively and in every part of the country.
Why sustained and wider actions are needed can be explained from only these examples. A mobile squad recently cracked down on fish breeding in 13 out of 16 sewer lagoons in Dhaka. The operation against the remaining ones should be completed. Besides, people would like to know what steps have been taken against the concerned personnel who sponsored such fish breeding in the first place, the fish breeders themselves and their local accomplices. These people need to be dealt with in an exemplary manner. But this task is pending. A permanent presence of security forces should also be there to prevent resumption of fish breeding in the sewer lagoons. But this has not happened. Thus, operations should be completed in earnest so that no way is left open for the restart of the crimes.
The mobile court has been detecting the application of the harmful calcium carbide on mangoes in the height of the fruit season this year. Some quantities of mangoes with calcium carbide were detected and destroyed in two or three separate cases. But no assurance is yet there about the practice being stopped entirely as a result. The drive to detect the chemical in various fruits needs to be an extensive and everyday exercise until at least the end of the fruit season. It was reported that textile dyes and formalin are still being applied on a large scale against foods and perishables. The mobile courts have not been provided with adequate instruments to be able to detect some chemicals and dyes, yet, and the adulterers are reportedly exploiting this inability on the part of the former. Such detection instruments in sufficient number do need to be made available to the mobile teams without any further delay.
None knows for certain about which area of consumption remains free from adulteration activities. It would make a very long list if it is tried to mention all of the devious methods used by the adulterers. The offences are widespread and such adulteration activities hold out a serious threat to the health of consumers. One may cite here the case of formalin which is applied on fishes. This can have carcinogenic effects on humans. Similar carcinogenic chemicals are used to keep fruits and vegetables looking fresh. Fertiliser is put on puffed rice to make it look more white and attractive. All kinds of adulterated compounds are found in bottled cooking oils and other oils. Even the cosmetics are not immune . The market remains flooded with such hazardous cosmetics. Thus, only from the above, it should be easy to realise how widespread are the activities of these merchants of death. The same are creating havocs for public health in general. Only hard actions against heinous activities here and there, now and then, are of hardly any use. The problem has to be addressed in its totality, comprehensively and in every part of the country.