Excluding 375 million vegetarians in the world, the most common non-veg food item that ’s loved by everyone is egg. It is not only a good source of animal protein but also the vital source of fats, minerals, calcium, carotene, vitamins etc. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, a grown man should eat at least 104 eggs per year for good health. Since the number of vegetarian in Bangladesh is pretty low, the demand for the egg is always high. Around 12 million eggs have been used per day which is 43, 80, 00,000 in total per year.
To meet that huge demand, about one lakh poultry firm has been grown all around the country. The daily production of these firms is 12.5 million, which has been supplied in bakeries, restaurants, hotels, fast-food shops, including home and lodging. 95 percent supply comes from these firms and 5 percent have to be imported. Along with good nutritional quality, the egg is a cheaper and yummy source of protein. But, due to contamination, this popular source of protein becomes the cause of various diseases now. Harmful chemicals feed; medicines, antibiotic and vitamins are used in poultry farm to maximize the size and production of chicken and the egg. From a study of Dhaka University, it has come to know that farmers are using tannery waste as chicken feed extensively. The harm of such kind of poultry feed doesn’t bother the farmers in hopes of extra profit.
More than 100 types of chemicals including chromium and Cadmium are used in tannery industries for controlling, processing and preserving the skin; all these chemicals can be found in the tannery waste too and be sure that it stays still there when it is used as a chicken meal. For this reason, the presences of harmful chemicals like chromium are found in every chicken meat and egg in the market. Though 35 micrograms chromium is considered endurable for the human body, 350 micrograms chromium is available in every chicken meat in the market. We can get an idea about the contamination in the chicken egg from the above data. Where 30 PPM chemicals are found safe in poultry feed, there presences 5000 PPM chemicals in these foods. The idiocy and the greedy attitude of poultry farmers inspire them to feed chicken such contaminated food, but the truth is, this attitude is destroying the poultry industry gradually.
Only four days after the birth chicken vaccines and vitamins are started. They apply steroid and methylene in chicken to increase the weight and size of egg and later on these chemicals cause cancer by destroying the body cells of human bodies. They weaken the digestion power, attack stomach, kidney, liver and damage them slowly. The use of antibiotics in chicken affect us directly, it minimizes the human immune power and reduces the effectiveness of antidotes on human body. Ciprofloxacin is the most used antibiotics that could be found in every egg in the market; minimum 80 percent egg contains different kind of antibiotics which is 3 to 5 times more than the tolerance level. Doctors say by eating this contaminated egg during the pregnancy may cause miscarriage, maternal complications crippled children. It can be proved more harmful for children, may the reason for child heart diseases, glider cancer, liver cirrhosis, lung cancer, heart block and lots more.
But the good news is the people of Bangladesh are now aware of these contaminations. Many educated farmers start to apply organic processor in their cultivations. These small steps will help us to bring the contamination-free nation we are dreamed for, the only thing that needed right now is the moral education and values.
Dal:
The word adulteration is not new to us, the presence of contamination is found in almost every product in the market. The list is getting longer day by day and pulses are another addition of this contamination list now. Pulse is a vital source of protein; people who want to avoid animal protein consider this the best way to fulfill their daily need. It contains all kinds of nutrients including minerals, calcium, carotenes, carbohydrates, vitamins B12, proteins, iron, fiber, potassium, and sodium.
Due to the better taste and cheaper price, it is widely used to meet the daily protein requirements. It is able to fulfill 20 to 25 percent daily protein need. Since only 5 to 7 percent of the land is been used for cultivating pulses it is needed to import a huge amount of pulses every year. Some dishonest businessmen are taking advantage of this growing demand; they are mixing chemicals, textile color, and water with it and selling them at a high price. There are varieties between the kind and price of pulses. Fraud traders mix textile color, turmeric, oil, and chemicals with low rate pulses and present it as a high rate pulses in the market. Along with that, they are mixing low-quality pulses called anchor pulses with the fresh pulses which are used as a cow feed basically and not good for the human body in any way. The only concentration of traders is to increase the weight of the product; with this intention they bring the wet pulses in the market and sell them without any wrong feelings. But the pulse with the wet condition is easily infected by fungus, which results in abdominal disorder and later on becomes food poisoning. There is proof of selling waste and spoil pulse too, after the chemical wash and coloring you will never able to verify which one is fresh and real. Those spoiled pulses become more harmful for health after these chemical processors.
This type of pulses is known as chines pulse in the local market, digestion problem, stomach diseases, kidney failure, liver cancer, heart disease, blood pressure, gallbladder cancer, diabetics are some of the examples of diseases that cannot be ignored if we continue to eat such contaminated pulses. The effects of chemicals can weaken your nerves and immune system and cause various stubborn diseases. These inappropriate foods can lead you to problems like skin diseases and skin cancer, hair loss, skin irritability, dandruff, age spots etc. It weakens the body from the inside and results in mental exhaustion, anxiety, unhealthy disease etc. It can interrupt the normal development of your baby; the presence of chemicals may also stop the brain development of children and cause asthma, mental impairment, eye problem etc. If you want to save your child from disorder then you should avoid this adulterated food during the pregnancy thoroughly.
These harmful substances are also found in imported pulses. Due to the fact of mismanagement, there is no suitable quality control or verification system. For protecting the nation from the upcoming danger we will need right storing system and training. We need to educate our farmers and traders too, inform them about the bad effects of contaminated food and make them aware, only then we can get a pollution free land.
Dry fish:
Dry fish is the most alluring dishes that loved by all most all Bengali. Along with mind-blowing flavor and taste, it has many nutritional values too. It is a good source of protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, calorie, vitamins etc. Since Bangladesh is a riverine and sea- shore country there is found different kind of dried fishes like Rupsa, Chalya, Ritha, Chaply, chada, Ilsha, kakchi, lokka, sonapata, shaplapata, baine and lots more. It fulfills 5 percent demand of fish and it has brought 200 cores taka every year by exporting dry fish until 2012. After the collection, the fish is dried and packaged to supply in the local and international market. Dried fish that are exporting are produced in Cox’s Bazar area most.
Finding homemade fresh dry fish is way to impossible now, so there isn’t left any other option than eating fish available in market knowing the low quality. Though dry fish is highly demanded, there is no quality control system or proper storing processes either. The common method of storing fishes for a long time is applying harmful chemicals and fertilizers. It is known that there is used a powdered drug called Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT); it prevents the decomposition and inhalation of insects or bacteria and let dry fish fresh for a long time. The low price and availability make it popular to the dried fish traders. But no one even notices the harmfulness of this medicine. Besides, many types of chemical is sprayed in the shoots. According to the fishermen, the use of chemicals makes fish durable, bacteria free and attractive. Around 425 names have come forward and all these drugs are normally used as an insecticide to protect crops from insects. These chemicals cause bad effect on human bodies; indigestion, abdominal soreness, scabies, dermatitis, liver cancer, kidney damage are some common name of diseases that cannot be avoided if we eat this contaminated food on a regular basis. It acts as a silent killer; it could damage our nerve system and cause nervous breakdown, jaundice, bile gallstones, and diarrhea.
The fishermen in our country don’t know how to preserve fish in a right way, so there is a tendency to spoil the fish soon. In order to avoid the possible losses, they have inspired to apply such harmful chemicals like formalin, Basudin, Diazines, and lots more. These chemicals are so harmful that it does not leave any smell on the fish; even insects keep a distance from those fishes. It could be proved dangerous for pregnant women. Disable and mentally unbalances child can brown by the effect of it, even the chance of miscarriage cannot be ignored. If these medications enter the body more often, the reproductive capacity of the men and women can be reduced. Contaminated dried fish is being blamed for the growing cancer rate in Chittagong.
Dried fishes are not only used as human food, it uses in poultry and fishery firms too. The adulteration enters into fish and chicken body by this process. We should aware of this alarming situation. We can change the situation by inspiring fishermen for storing fishes in a scientific way as well as teaching them about the harmfulness of the contamination. Avoid buying dried fish if you find white spots on it. Raise your voice against food contamination and keep yourself safe.
