NEWS: Food poisoning: NAFDAC bans 30 agro-chemical products

[Ayo Adebayo]

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200805140425189

 

Food poisoning: NAFDAC bans 30 agro-chemical products

By Victor Sam, Abuja

Published: Wednesday, 14 May 2008

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control on Tuesday banned the supply, sale and use of 30 agrochemical products in the country.

The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Dora Akinyuli, said this in a statement from her office in Abuja.

She said the ban became necessary following a series of reports of poisoning and deaths resulting from the consumption of staple foods preserved with the chemicals.

The list of the banned chemicals include, Aldrin, Binapacryl, Captafol, Chlordane, Chlordimeform, DDT, Dieldrin, Dinoseb and Dinoseb Salts, Ethylene Dichloride, Heptachlor, and Lindane.

Others are, Parathion, Methyl Parathion, Phosphamidon, Mono-croptophos, Methamidophos, Chlorobenzilate, Toxaphene, Pentachlorophenol, Endrin, Mirex, Endosulphan, Delta HCH and Ethylene Oxide.

Also listed were HCF (Mixed Isomers)/ BHC, EDB (1,2-dibromoethene), 2,4,5, Trichlorophenoxy, Acetic Acid, and Flouroacetamide.

She said that following several reports in the newspapers and complaints by members of the National Assembly, NAFDAC investigated the claims and discovered from its laboratory findings, the misuse of some of the chemicals.

Akunyili also said that NAFDAC decided to ban the chemicals following the World Health Organisation's findings that about 20,000 people died annually from over three million cases of acute poisoning from exposure to pesticides.

Akunyili, however, said that NAFDAC had registered several pesticides for use by farmers and grain merchants in the country.

"In February, 2008, the House of Representatives Committee on Health alerted NAFDAC of a health hazard in Yobe State due to the preservation of beans with chemicals.

"In Gombe State it was alleged that people died after eating beans while in Cross River State over 112 people were hospitalised and 2 children died.

"Again, we got another report that over 120 students of Government Girls Secondary Schools, Doma Gombe were rushed to Gombe Specialist hospital after consuming a meal of beans suspected to have been preserved with poisonous chemicals."

[Kunle Oyekanmi]

Great! This is a good first step. However, the most important part is to enforce the ban and ensure that violators face stiff penalties and possible prosecution. Public health is at stake here. Dora Akunyili, who has been known for sagacious leadership, should be expected to implement the enforcement of the ban.

 

'Kunle Oyekanmi

OEM Physician

Ayo Adebayo <ayo.a...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Disu, Saka]

I want to use this media to commend Dr Oyekanmi, for his up to date Nigeria public health information that he mailed to every body on regular basis. You had been doing a great job , keeping people informed about what is going on over there.

It is interesting to hear, that Nigeria public health system becoming more caring for the well being of its people. Which had never happened before.
I hope they will implement and make sure the poisoned foods are out of the market.
I could remember in the past when we had a lot of adulterated drugs in the pharmacies , and the FDA was aware , but completely ignored it, because of the bribes they are getting from these companies.
Many patients died every day in the hospitals as a result of sepsis, simply because the antibiotics supplied by the pharmacies were adulterated and inactive.
It is high time the FDA step up and protect the interest of the public instead of the interest of the companies.

Thanks

Saka Rotimi Disu MD,MPH
University of Texas,
Occupational and Environmental Medicine
1200 pressler street RM 1014W
Houston, TX 77030
9087640235-cell
7135009450- Office
7135009470- Fax

________________________________

[Theophilus Oyelayo]

Dear colleagues,
This is interesting and I,d like to thank the AFOEM for the decemination of this info. I see this forum as an important agent for change in Nigeria and indeed Africa in general. It will be important as professionals that we are seen not to be engaged in government bashing, but trying to make concrete positive suggestion to the appropiate agencies on best practices, models and Info gathering useful for formulating policies. I will be interested for an example, in knowing if we have the equivalent of MSDS and similar info, e.g. labels on chemically produced crops and personal products, etc that our population are exposed to. The more vulnerable of these are those leaving in the rural areas of the country where health facilities are non- existent, and in boarding schools where cost cutting is the number one priority of the school Principals. Childred are at risk here.
Theo.

Theophilus Oyelayo

>>> "Disu, Saka " <Saka...@uth.tmc.edu> 5/15/2008 8:51 AM >>>

[Kunle Oyekanmi]

Dr Disu,

 

Thanks for the kind words. However, DR. AYODELE ADEBAYO deserves all the encomiums. He is the forum coordinator/organizer/founder and devotes a lot of time and energy in digging up the appropriate information and relevant news and developments and posting them for members of the group to comment on. He has been doing all the heavy lifting for the past 18 months (or since the forum started). He has also been working hard at bringing us all together by ensuring that Nigerian colleagues who attend the AOHC conference during spring get together during the conference to discuss issues of mutual interest i.e. Occupational Health in Nigeria.

The efforts have not gone without some results even if they appear to be modest (we shall not despise the days of small beginnings). Recently, an idea was mooted to organize an Occupational Health Conference in Nigeria next summer in which all the stakeholders will participate. It is my hope that this comes to fruition.

I am certain we need all the help, expertise, and active participation we can get from members of this forum with the successful organization of that event. 

All the members of this forum are aware of the importance of the field of Occupational and Environmental Health to Public Health in general. In the era of globalization and with the expectation of industrialization of Nigeria and other developing countries, occupational and environmental health problems should be expected to become more prevalent. It is important that practitioners in these places become more familiar with and proficient in dealing with problems related to occupational and environmental exposures. As technology and manufacturing services are being moved, so, should services of Occ and Env Health. We are the ones who are best equipped to provide these services in our country given our knowledge of the terrain and culture.

As Ayo once wrote, let's roll up our sleeves and prepare to get our hands dirty i.e. let's get to work.

 

'Kunle Oyekanmi

OEM Physician

"Disu, Saka " <Saka...@uth.tmc.edu> wrote:

I want to use this media to commend Dr Oyekanmi, for his up to date Nigeria public health information that he mailed to every body on regular basis. You had been doing a great job , keeping people informed about what is going on over there.

It is interesting to hear, that Nigeria public health system becoming more caring for the well being of its people. Which had never happened before.
I hope they will implement and make sure the poisoned foods are out of the market.
I could remember in the past when we had a lot of adulterated drugs in the pharmacies , and the FDA was aware , but completely ignored it, because of the bribes they are getting from these companies.
Many patients died every day in the hospitals as a result of sepsis, simply because the antibiotics supplied by the pharmacies were adulterated and inactive.
It is high time the FDA step up and protect the interest of the public instead of the interest of the companies.

Thanks

Saka Rotimi Disu MD,MPH
University of Texas,
Occupational and Environmental Medicine
1200 pressler street RM 1014W
Houston, TX 77030
9087640235-cell
7135009450- Office
7135009470- Fax

________________________________

From: afr...@googlegroups.com on behalf of Kunle Oyekanmi
Sent: Thu 5/15/2008 7:06 AM
To: afr...@googlegroups.com
Subject: (AfrOEM) Re: NEWS: Food poisoning: NAFDAC bans 30 agro-chemical products


Great! This is a good first step. However, the most important part is to enforce the ban and ensure that violators face stiff penalties and possible prosecution. Public health is at stake here. Dora Akunyili, who has been known for sagacious leadership, should be expected to implement the enforcement of the ban.

'Kunle Oyekanmi
OEM Physician