Dhaka civic bodies yet to get formalin test kits for fruits

Around 300 trucks carrying mangoes enter the capital’s wholesale fruit market everyday, but the Dhaka city corporations, both North and South, are yet to get formalin test kits.
A study has found excessive formalin in seasonal fruits, like mango, litchi and blackberry, being sold from shops in different areas of the capital. Even shops with signboards saying “chemical-free fruits” sell fruits soaked in formalin.
To avoid formalin, health-conscious people are eating less fruits, thereby being deprived of nutrition in the form of vitamins and minerals. On the other hand, eating food tainted with formalin results in diseases. A lot of money is spent on treatment.
Brig Gen Md Mahbubur Rahman, chief health officer of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), told The Independent yesterday that the tool kit they have is meant for checking formalin in fish and milk only.
“We do not have any kit to check formalin in fruits,” he said.
Pranab Ghosh, regional officer of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), said that they do not have any kit to check formalin in fruits. They have asked for tool kit to check formalin in vegetables and seasonal fruits. They do not know when the drive will be conducted to control pesticides in fruits.
Talking to traders of the wholesale fruit market at Kawran Bazar, it was found that around 94 per cent of the mangoes and 100 per cent blackberries and litchis are formalin-tainted.
Formalin, a 37 per cent water solution of formaldehyde, is poisonous and can cause cancer. Traders use this chemical as a preservative and to make fruits and vegetables look fresh for longer periods.

Dhaka civic bodies yet to get formalin test kits for fruits

Around 300 trucks carrying mangoes enter the capitals wholesale fruit market everyday, but the Dhaka city corporations, both North and South, are yet to get formalin test kits. A study has found excessive formalin in seasonal fruits, like mango, litchi and blackberry, being sold from shops in different areas of the capital. Even shops with signboards saying chemical-free fruits sell fruits soaked in formalin. To avoid formalin, health-conscious people are eating less fruits, thereby being deprived of nutrition in the form of vitamins and minerals. On the other hand, eating food tainted with formalin results in diseases. A lot of money is spent on treatment. Brig Gen Md Mahbubur Rahman, chief health officer of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), told The Independent yesterday that the tool kit they have is meant for checking formalin in fish and milk only. We do not have any kit to check formalin in fruits, he said. Pranab Ghosh, regional officer of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), said that they do not have any kit to check formalin in fruits. They have asked for tool kit to check formalin in vegetables and seasonal fruits. They do not know when the drive will be conducted to control pesticides in fruits. Talking to traders of the wholesale fruit market at Kawran Bazar, it was found that around 94 per cent of the mangoes and 100 per cent blackberries and litchis are formalin-tainted. Formalin, a 37 per cent water solution of formaldehyde, is poisonous and can cause cancer. Traders use this chemical as a preservative and to make fruits and vegetables look fresh for longer periods.