Beyond its numerous industrial uses, calcium carbide is becoming increasingly popular in the enforced ripening of fruits in many Nigerian urban communities, despite the high health risks involved. Unfortunately, very little attention, if any, is being paid by the relevant health and regulatory authorities to this dangerous practice that has been outlawed in many other parts of the world. It is up to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control to curb this dreadful breach of food safety.
Driven by profit making motives, through increased turnover, sellers of popular fruits, such as mangoes, pineapples, pears and bananas, as well as other foodstuff like plantain, deliberately go for cheap and unripe ones, which are then forcibly ripened by the use of industrial grade calcium carbide, which contains traces of arsenic and phosphorus. Such fruits, according to news reports, are assembled in an enclosure, around a container of calcium carbide. Thereafter, water is poured on the carbide and fruit to generate heat, which ensures that ripeness takes place and the fruits are ready for the market, within 24 hours. Unripe fruits are also preferred because of their ability to survive rough handling while being transported from harvesting points to the market.
Ordinarily, ripening is a process that occurs naturally in fruits, which is responsible for the change in their pigmentation, making them softer, sweeter and ready for ingestion. It is a process that gives the fruits their distinctive texture, flavour and taste when they are eaten. According to an online version of a respected science magazine, Scientific American, ripening is caused by a gaseous plant hormone called ethylene, which can be produced naturally by fruits and vegetables.
But for the businessperson, whose intent is to make quick money and maximise profits, this natural process has to be artificially induced, unfortunately, through some chemical compounds known as acetylene. Acetylene is the product of a chemical reaction that takes place when calcium carbide comes in contact with water. So, instead of allowing the hormone, ethylene, through a slow, natural course, to carry out the process of ripening, acetylene is used to speed up that process, regardless of its hazardous effect on human health.
Mostly, when fruits are forced to ripe, they become too soft too quickly. The natural appeal in fruits that go through the natural course is also absent in fruits whose ripeness is artificially induced. Health experts say that the danger actually comes from arsenic and phosphorous, which are found in calcium. So, in the process of using calcium carbide to intervene in the ripening process, the fruits are exposed to these harmful, toxic elements. When such fruits are consumed, they are said to have very harmful effects on internal organs, such as kidneys, liver and the heart. It has also been implicated in the proliferation of cancer cases in the country.
Acetylene is also believed to affect the central nervous system, through the reduction of oxygen supply to the brain. So, instead of being a positive influence on health, with their rich vitamins and minerals needed for healthy living, fruits that are forced to ripe become veritable health hazards. A news report, quoting a trader in Lagos, revealed, “Carbide is usually used to ripen fruits in every market in Lagos, where plantain and banana are sold.”
Artificial intervention in the ripening process of fruits is just one of the numerous ways in which dubious traders introduce dangerous substances into food items consumed in Nigeria. It has also been confirmed that much of the imported palm oil used for cooking in the country is spiked with poisonous chemicals. Unscrupulous traders, intent on increasing the physical appeal of the commodity, reportedly introduce chemicals such as Solvent Red 24 and chlorine, both of which are described by experts as slow killers. Experts have confirmed the link between chemicals used in spiking palm oil and the high rate of lifestyle diseases such as cancer and internal organ failures, which have been on the rise in Nigeria.
There should be massive enlightenment campaign on the dangers of enforced ripening of fruits. NAFDAC is the statutory agency that should ensure that all food items are safe for consumption. But many registered and unregistered food items, exploiting loopholes in quality control, still find their way into the country. This is why NAFDAC must urgently strengthen its capacity. Its Director General,Paul Orhii, should take action on this immediately. While it may not be possible for the agency’s workers to be physically present in every nook and cranny of the country, the duty of monitoring and controlling what people eat can be done in collaboration with local and state health authorities across the country. Even when products have been certified to be of the desired quality, efforts should be made to carry out periodic checks to ensure that quality attained is not later compromised.
At the individual level, people should ensure that they closely inspect the fruits they buy. In places like India and other Asian countries, where the practice is common, the use of calcium carbide to induce ripeness has been outlawed and violators are heavily penalised. NAFDAC should move quickly against these merchants of death here.
