By Kayode Ojewale
Many Nigerians did not understand where the Agriculture Minister Audu Ogbeh was coming from when sometime ago he warned his compatriots against the use of cellophane in their food regime. He was speaking from a scientifically informed position we should align with for the good health of society.
The minister raised an alarm that Nigerians who are eating beans
pudding (‘moinmoin’) cooked in
cellophane (nylon) bags risk serious
health challenge as the product is poisonous. According to him, cellophane bags
contain large doses of dioxin that are harmful to health. Let me also add that
liquid milk tin is also dangerous for packaging ‘moinmoin’ when cooking as leaching of chemical from the milk tin
into the content will still occur. The healthy alternative for packaging or
wrapping ‘moinmoin’ when steaming is
the use of local green leaves which do not contain poisonous substances. These
leaves rather add flavor, antioxidants and aroma to the ‘moinmoin’. Many Nigerians did not understand where the Agriculture Minister Audu Ogbeh was coming from when sometime ago he warned his compatriots against the use of cellophane in their food regime. He was speaking from a scientifically informed position we should align with for the good health of society.
Plastics, no doubt, have become a part of our daily lives especially in the kitchen. The role of plastics as packaging and storage containers for our food cannot be overemphasized. Plastics are light-weight, readily available and cheap, hence their heavy demand in the kitchen.
Plastics like PET bottles also become handy for packaging water in
various sizes. Cooking oil is also packaged in plastic kegs, jerry cans and
bottles of different sizes. Some electric jugs, insulated food warmers, food
flasks, food serving spoons (for staple and swallow foods) – spatula and ladle
for soup, sieve and many other kitchen utensils are made of plastics. Plastics
can however be hazardous to human lives depending on the plastic type, how it
is used and what it is used for.
Sadly, we hardly can do without plastics touching in our food chain–from
production, preparation, processing up to packaging, plastics are involved. In
addition, storage and reheating of leftover foods are done mostly in plastic
containers. Findings have also revealed that almost all plastic packaging
materials used for food contain substances that can leach into the food.
Leaching, in this context, is the release of harmful chemicals from plastics or
cellophane (nylon) bags into the contents it carries, be it food or liquid when
heated.
On the basis of recycling symbol or code, plastics can be grouped
into seven. It is also on this basis that plastics are regarded as harmful or
safe and eco-friendly. You may not have noticed this – every plastic bottle or
container has a recycling symbol. The symbol is a number which ranges from one
to seven and written in a triangle drawn with a chasing arrow symbol. Just look
around the bottom of any plastic product, imprinted somewhere on the underside
is a number inscribed in the arrow-chasing triangle and with acronym or symbol
just below the triangle.
Plastic products labeled code #1 stands for PET (Polyethylene
terephthalate); code #2, HDPE (High-density Polyethylene); code #3, PVC
(Polyvinyl Chloride); code #4, LDPE (Low-density Polyethylene); code #5, PP
(Polypropylene); code #6, PS (Polystyrene) and code #7, PC (Polycarbonates).
Food safety experts and toxicologists say plastic products with
recycling codes #3, #6 and #7 are toxic and should be avoided particularly if
using them for food and drinks because they leach harmful chemicals. Some
experts have argued that plastics labeled code #1 are not safe because they
leach antimony trioxide (a possible carcinogen) when heated, while others
believe PET bottles are safe.
Other plastics with recycle codes #2, #4 and #5 are likely to be
free of Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates and other dangerous chemicals of concern.
The consumption of sachet and bottled water exposed to sunlight with temperature
over 28 degrees Celsius is hazardous and can damage the immune system, lead to
failure of kidney and liver.
In order to live and lead a healthy life, avoid eating hot food from plastics.
Also remember to use plastics with recycle codes #1, #2, #4 and #5 only for
food and drinks purposes, while plastics with codes #3, #6 and #7 should be
avoided when it comes to food. However, to play safe and be extra cautious,
avoid taking hot food from any plastic irrespective of the recycling code under
it.
Those in the habit of habit buying food in cellophane bags and
then eating from it should desist from such practices as large doses of dioxin
enter the body through the food. Same is also applicable to people who buy and
drink freshly prepared hot antimalarial herbal concoction (“agbo iba”) from road side sellers inside nylons or plastic cups.
Taking hot coffee or water from Styrofoam (disposable) cups is similar as well.
To ensure an all-round awareness at all levels for rural and city
dwellers, government should sensitize its citizens on harmful consequences of
plastic toxins when leached out into our food and water after exposure to heat.
When citizens are well educated and informed on plastic toxins, they will take
healthy and informed decisions.
*Kayode Ojewale, an industrial chemist, wrote from Idimu, Lagos .
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