Skyrocketing prices of toxic gruits, vegetables comparable to essentials in Laksam
Masum Rahman Selim, Cumilla South
Across the vast region of Laksam Upazila in southern Cumilla, people are constantly at health risk due to the consumption of chemically treated, toxic fruits and vegetables available in various markets. These toxic fruits and vegetables, ripened with harmful chemicals and carbide, are not only causing various diseases but are also being sold at exorbitant prices, similar to essential commodities. Fruit traders, disregarding government regulations, are becoming increasingly reckless.
Multiple local sources report that despite the absence of orchards in the major markets of the upazila, the region is a significant agricultural hub. Local farmers produce a variety of crops, including vegetables. As a result, large wholesale markets for fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural products have emerged. These markets supply both domestic and imported agricultural goods and fruits. However, some traders import products and use various toxic domestic and foreign chemicals to ripen fruits and vegetables in secret storage facilities before marketing them. While these chemically ripened fruits and vegetables may appear appealing, they lack taste. Consuming these toxic, chemical-laden products is causing children, teenagers, and the elderly in the region to contract various viral diseases, putting thousands of people at health risk.
Additionally, pesticides used to control pests and diseases in fruits and vegetables are extremely harmful to human health. Yet, unscrupulous traders, driven by profit, have increased the use of these toxic substances. Consumers, feeling deceived, have raised concerns about the lack of nutritional quality checks and the role of the local administration. Amid rising temperatures and humid weather due to climate change, it is natural for families to consume fresh and tasty fruits.
Multiple doctors from local private hospitals explained that calcium carbide, a chemical used in fruits and vegetables, reacts with water to produce ethylene gas and lime. Ethylene gas can be further processed into polymers to create polyethylene, essentially a raw material for plastic production. Formalin, another preservative, is made by mixing formaldehyde with water to produce aldehyde. When oxidized with methanol, it creates various chemical compounds. Methanol itself is a toxic chemical, commonly known in the market as spirit or used as wood varnish. These toxic chemicals are being used daily to ripen juicy fruits and vegetables.
Across the vast region of Laksam Upazila in southern Cumilla, people are constantly at health risk due to the consumption of chemically treated, toxic fruits and vegetables available in various markets. These toxic fruits and vegetables, ripened with harmful chemicals and carbide, are not only causing various diseases but are also being sold at exorbitant prices, similar to essential commodities. Fruit traders, disregarding government regulations, are becoming increasingly reckless.
Multiple local sources report that despite the absence of orchards in the major markets of the upazila, the region is a significant agricultural hub. Local farmers produce a variety of crops, including vegetables. As a result, large wholesale markets for fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural products have emerged. These markets supply both domestic and imported agricultural goods and fruits. However, some traders import products and use various toxic domestic and foreign chemicals to ripen fruits and vegetables in secret storage facilities before marketing them. While these chemically ripened fruits and vegetables may appear appealing, they lack taste. Consuming these toxic, chemical-laden products is causing children, teenagers, and the elderly in the region to contract various viral diseases, putting thousands of people at health risk.
Additionally, pesticides used to control pests and diseases in fruits and vegetables are extremely harmful to human health. Yet, unscrupulous traders, driven by profit, have increased the use of these toxic substances. Consumers, feeling deceived, have raised concerns about the lack of nutritional quality checks and the role of the local administration. Amid rising temperatures and humid weather due to climate change, it is natural for families to consume fresh and tasty fruits.
Multiple doctors from local private hospitals explained that calcium carbide, a chemical used in fruits and vegetables, reacts with water to produce ethylene gas and lime. Ethylene gas can be further processed into polymers to create polyethylene, essentially a raw material for plastic production. Formalin, another preservative, is made by mixing formaldehyde with water to produce aldehyde. When oxidized with methanol, it creates various chemical compounds. Methanol itself is a toxic chemical, commonly known in the market as spirit or used as wood varnish. These toxic chemicals are being used daily to ripen juicy fruits and vegetables.
