Last updated on October 5th, 2023 at 08:01 pm

The Director-General National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC ) Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, says consumption of carbide-ripened fruits may cause sleep disorders, mouth ulcer and cancer.

She said this on Monday in Bauchi State, during a one-day sensitisation workshop organised for journalists, market men and women in the Northeast on the dangers posed by drug hawkers and carbide-ripened fruits.

Prof. Adeyeye, who was represented by the Director of Chemical Evaluation and Research, Dr. Patrick Omokpariola, said characteristics of carbide-ripened fruits include considerable loss of properties such as colour, taste and feel.

She said, “These fruits do not possess uniform colour and are less juicy than when ripened naturally. They have a comparatively shorter shelf life. Calcium Carbide when sprayed with water reacts chemically to produce acetylene, which acts like ethylene and ripens fruits by a similar process.

“Calcium carbide generally contains impurities such as arsenic, lead particles, phosphorus, etc., and these pose several serious health hazards.

“Consumption of fruits containing these impurities may cause cancer; heart, kidney and liver failure. They may also cause frequent thirst, irritation in the mouth and nose, weakness, permanent skin damage, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting, and skin ulcer, among others. Higher exposure may cause undesired fluid build-up in lungs (pulmonary oedema).”

Continuing, Prof Adeyeye said, “Acetylene produced by calcium carbide affects the neurological system and reduces oxygen supply to the brain, and further induces prolonged hypoxia.

“The impurities are hazardous to pregnant women and children and may lead to headache, dizziness, mood disturbances, mental confusion, memory loss, cerebral oedema (swelling in the brain caused by excessive fluids), sleepiness, seizure etc.

“Calcium Carbide is alkaline in nature and erodes the mucosal tissue in the abdominal region and disrupts intestinal functions.

“Consuming such artificially ripened fruits could result in sleeping disorders, mouth ulcers, skin rashes, kidney problems and possibly even cancer. Other symptoms of poisoning include diarrhoea (with or without blood), burning or tingling sensation in abdomen and chest, difficulty in swallowing, irritation in eyes/skin, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath and numbness,” she added.

On his part, the Chairman of Health Journalists in Nigeria, Hassan Zaki, lauded NAFDAC for raising the alarm, noting that it would help to save lives.

He urged journalists to amplify the campaign on drug abuse and carbide-ripened fruits in the region, adding, “For Journalists to talk about an issue, they must know the issue well and in this sense, the issues are about drug hawking and ripening of fruits with carbide.”