Fruits play a vital role in enhancing immunity and safeguarding against diseases by supplying essential micronutrients. Nonetheless, a cautionary note comes from experts who highlight the potential health risks associated with consuming fruits that have been artificially ripened using calcium carbide. This perilous practice has been linked to severe health complications, including but not limited to cancer, heart failure, kidney failure, and liver malfunction. YINKA ADENIRAN delves into the alarming concerns surrounding the dual menace of drug hawking and the hazardous practice of carbide-induced fruit ripening, shedding light on their potential threats to public health
For about three weeks, Boladale Arogundade was not himself. As a mason, he knew the intensity of his regular work to make ends meet. He also had faith in his method of self-medication. Using a combination of medicines from his trusted “pharmacist-cum-doctor,” he usually regained his vitality upon taking the prescribed drug combinations. However, this routine failed him in the past two weeks. This wasn’t the first time he faced such a situation. He recalled encountering a similar problem a few months back, which led him to seek treatment from a different provider who offered medical advice alongside selling medications.
A similar scenario unfolded for Kafayat Arinola, a small-scale trader. When the medications she relied on for treating her recurring malaria episodes lost their effectiveness, she quickly concluded that the malaria parasites had developed resistance to the drugs. Yet, upon visiting a nearby pharmacy, she noticed a significant improvement in her health, even though the cost of the prescribed drugs was slightly higher.
A common thread in both cases was their reliance on itinerant vendors, colloquially known as “death merchants,” who roamed various locations selling medications. For Arogundade, the convenience of having medications delivered directly to his worksite by these vendors was appealing. This not only saved him time and effort but also provided the advantage of receiving personalised recommendations based on his physical exertion to ensure he was fit for the next day’s labour. Arinola, the petty trader, was drawn to the affordability and ease with which the drug hawkers operated. They often offered credit for purchasing medications. However, it was only after both Arogundade and Arinola faced health setbacks and had to spend more on treatments that they realised the potential risks. Arogundade was astonished when he learned that many of the drugs he had been using had lost their potency. The doctor attending to him suspected that excessive exposure to sunlight might have contributed to this decline. Discovering that numerous individuals had lost their lives due to consuming substandard drugs from such vendors left him on the verge of tears.
In both cases, the allure of convenience, affordability, and accessibility initially overshadowed the potential dangers of relying on unregulated drug vendors. These personal experiences underscored the significance of seeking medical advice from certified professionals and reliable sources, not only to safeguard individual health but also to prevent tragic outcomes resulting from subpar medications. Fully aware of the situation, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has escalated its campaign against the engagement with drug hawkers, characterising many of them as “knowing or unknowing merchants of death.” Despite these efforts, the rate and persistence of hawkers’ patronage remains a cause for concern within the agency. Consequently, NAFDAC recently took a step further to amplify its message by organising a comprehensive training workshop for journalists hailing from the six Southwest states of Nigeria – Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, and Lagos. The workshop, conducted at the House of Chiefs within the Oyo State Government Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, was a collaborative initiative with the Association of Nigeria Health Journalists. The workshop’s theme centered on two critical issues: “Dangers of Drug Hawking” and “Ripening of Fruits with Carbide.”
During the workshop, NAFDAC emphasised that drug hawkers, through their trade, expose essential and life-saving medicines to adverse weather conditions, leading to the degradation of active ingredients and the transformation of these medicines into harmful substances. This poses a significant threat to human life. The agency also highlighted the health risks associated with the use of calcium carbide for fruit ripening, urging farmers and traders to prioritise safety over profit. Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of NAFDAC, stressed that the primary goal of the programme was to send a message to Nigerians about the urgent necessity for stringent regulatory measures to curtail the perilous practices of drug hawking and hazardous fruit ripening. Represented at the event by Dr. Patrick Omokpariola, NAFDAC Director of Chemical Evaluation and Research, Adeyeye emphasised that the rampant trade of drug hawking poses a grave challenge to Nigeria’s healthcare system. NAFDAC said it remains resolute in its determination to eradicate this illicit trade completely, and it is actively working on arresting and prosecuting these hawkers due to the substantial health risks they pose to the public.
Adeyeye underscored that, to effectively combat the menace of drug hawking, it is imperative to disrupt the chain of demand. By discouraging buyers from engaging with drug hawkers, the chain of buying and selling will naturally collapse. This necessitates heightened public awareness and education efforts, particularly among less-educated individuals. In conclusion, NAFDAC’s proactive efforts, as exemplified by the workshop and advocacy, underscore the critical importance of addressing the dangers posed by drug hawkers and unsafe practices in Nigeria. Through increased awareness, regulation, and collaboration with the media and the public, the agency seeks to safeguard citizens’ health and well-being from the risks associated with substandard medications and harmful agricultural practices.
According to agency, the menace of drug hawking poses serious challenge to healthcare delivery system in the country and which underscored NAFDAC’s resolute determination to totally eradicate the illicit trade. Prof Adeyeye said “Many drug hawkers are knowingly or unknowingly merchants of death who expose essential and life-saving medicines to the vagaries of inclement weather, which degrade the active ingredients of the medicine and turn them to poisons, thus endangering human lives. Most of the drugs sold by the illiterate and semi-literate drug hawkers are counterfeit, substandard or expired, and therefore do not meet the quality, safety and efficacy requirement of regulated medicines. Prescription drugs are also sold by the itinerant drug hawkers who also hold consultation, recommend and prescribe medicines to their gullible ‘patients.’
“Drug hawkers are also the major distributors and suppliers of narcotic medicines to criminal networks such as armed bandits, insurgents, kidnappers and armed robbers. Drug hawkers constitute serious threat to our national security. Drugs are sensitive life-saving commodities which should not be sold on the streets/motor parks or open markets just like any other article of trade. I wish to warn that any drug hawker arrested by NAFDAC will be prosecuted, will face a jail term, and our enforcement officers are currently carrying out synchronised nation-wide operation.
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“No offender will be spared from facing the full wrath of the law. In this regard, we solicit the co-operation and support of all other law enforcement agencies, Nigerian journalists and well-meaning Nigerians in riding the country of this harmful and shameful practice.”
Conversely, within the realm of its responsibilities, NAFDAC acknowledged the alarming practice of selling and consumption of fruits that are artificially ripened using calcium carbide. Additionally, Prof Adeyeye underscored the illegal trade of drugs in open markets, stressing that the artificial ripening of fruits with calcium carbide constitutes another pressing public challenge confronting the nation. To address this issue comprehensively, the agency said it has adopted a multifaceted strategy to confront this menace head-on.
“Fruits provide the body with micronutrients that improve immunity and prevent diseases among other benefits. Fruit ripening is a unique aspect of plant development, which makes the fruit edible, softer, sweeter, more palatable, nutritious, and attractive. However, the consumption of fruits such as mango, banana, plantain, guava, orange, grape, etc. or any other fruits ripened with calcium carbide is dangerous to health. Fruits artificially ripened with calcium carbide may be ripe on the skin, the inside remain unripe.
“You can identify such artificially ripened fruits if you notice that the fruits are all yellow whereas the stem is dark, this is true especially with banana and plantain. In addition, naturally ripened fruits usually have brown or black spots, while those artificially ripened have traces of powdery substances and peel off quickly,” she explained.
During the workshop, while enlightening the attendees, the NAFDAC boss highlighted several hazards linked to the artificial ripening of fruits. These hazards encompass substantial loss of attributes such as colour, taste, and texture. Furthermore, this practice fails to impart the natural aroma and flavour expected in fruits. As a result, artificially ripened fruits lack uniform colour, exhibit reduced juiciness compared to their naturally ripened counterparts, and tend to have a notably 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., that pose several very 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 mouth and nose, weakness, permanent skin damage, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting, skin ulcer and so forth.
“Higher exposure may cause undesired fluid build-up in lungs (pulmonary oedema). 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 in breathing, numbness, etc.”
In its endeavour to halt this perilous trend, the agency emphasised that it has been far from idle. Rather, it is intensifying its initiatives to counteract and curtail this practice. “It is gratifying to announce that apart from sensitisation campaigns and enforcement activities, NAFDAC has commissioned a scientific study on the best approach towards mitigating the health hazards posed by ripening of fruits with carbides.
“I have mandated some of my directors and support staff to take these campaigns to the nooks and crannies of this country. We are confident of winning the war against these two hydra-headed public health menaces. I urge you to assist NAFDAC in publicising and disseminating knowledge acquired to the general public. Thank you for your collaboration and support for NAFDAC to rid the country of the menace of substandard and falsified medicines, unwholesome foods, corrosive cosmetics, and other substandard regulated products.”
In response to the public’s plea for action against issues of drug hawking and the use of calcium carbide for fruit ripening, the agency has taken the initiative to collaborate with the media. This strategic partnership is focused on raising awareness and efficiently mitigating the prevalence of these harmful practices. “There have been clarion calls by well-meaning Nigerians on the need to take stringent regulatory actions to stem the dangerous tide of drug hawking and ripening of fruits with calcium carbide. In addition, several national dailies and non-governmental organisations have raised concerns on the looming danger and health implication of these two nefarious activities by certain unpatriotic and unscrupulous citizens in our country.
“Since 2019, we immediately took some decisive steps such as sensitisation of the public through different media outlets, enforcement through intelligence and raids in fruit markets that have resulted in seizures and destruction of violative products. This sensitisation workshop is again a fulfillment of my promise to sustain and strengthen NAFDAC’s existing collaboration with Association of Health Journalists in Nigeria towards mobilising, educating, sensitising, and conscientising Nigerian journalists to play frontline role in our concerted efforts to eradicate the menace of drug hawking and ripening of fruits with calcium carbide in Nigeria,” the NAFDAC DG explained.