The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is still warning Nigerians about using dangerous chemicals to preserve food items.
The agency, this time around, has emphasized the dangers associated with dichlorvos, a chemical used by traders to safeguard food from spoilage.
NAFDAC said the sale of small volumes of dichlorvos (100 ml or less), sold as Sniper has been banned since 2019 while the sale of the large volume (one liter) is limited to certified agrochemical outlets.
In a statement signed by the Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, the agency underscored the toxicity of dichlorvos to human health, cautioning that its use can have fatal consequences.
In response to a viral video showing individuals using dangerous chemicals to preserve food items like beans, stockfish, and crayfish, NAFDAC’s Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, urged traders and merchants to desist from using unauthorized chemicals on food meant for human consumption.
"The misuse of dichlorvos poses significant risks to human health, manifesting in both short-term and long-term consequences," she said.
Long-term exposure, according to Prof. Adeyeye, can result in severe health implications, including developmental abnormalities in offspring, memory loss, reduced fertility, and potential carcinogenic effects.
"These adverse effects highlight the importance of adhering to safety guidelines to mitigate the risks associated with dichlorvos exposure."
The Director of Veterinary Medicine and Applied Products (VMAP), Dr. Rametu Momodu, on her part, restated that using certain chemicals, especially pesticides, to protect grains and prevent beans from having weevils is not an approved practice.
She explained that there are approved pesticides for use as fumigants, which should be used according to the manufacturer’s specifications on the product label.
Dr. Momodu stressed that these products should not be applied directly to food due to their inherent dangers to human health.
She further elaborated that consuming food contaminated with dichlorvos can cause dizziness, vomiting, difficulty breathing, tremors, and convulsions, and in some cases, can lead to coma and death.
NAFDAC warned that once used, pesticide residues remain on or in the food, posing significant health risks.
“Washing the food does not mitigate the risk, as the harmful substance would have already soaked into it."
NAFDAC in the statement said it is committed to global best practices, including the phase-out of certain pesticides that have been banned in other countries due to proven toxicity.
