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`Dry fish treated with poisonous chemical`
2007-07-07 10:46:06
By Patrick Kisembo
The Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority has issued a warning to the public to be careful when buying dry fish as some dealers use actellic and actellic super dust normally used for preserving grains, to treat the fish.
TFDA Public Relations Officer Gaudensia Simwanza said yesterday that plans were underway to legally ban the use of the chemical on fish.
TFDA has recently learnt that dried fish harvested from the lakes of Rukwa and Tanganyika was being preserved using insecticides meant for the control of pests in grains.
Simwanza said the authority had carried out a laboratory analysis of dried fish collected from Rukwa Region where complaints over the use of such chemicals were raised by consumers.
She said analytical results of the tested dried fish samples indicated the presence of the chemicals.
Actellic insecticides belong to the group of organophosphates compounds whose poisoning effect is through the inhibition of cholinesterase enzyme, said Simwanza.
She said fish containing the chemical, if consumed without cooking it at 100 degree centigrade, might cause health problems such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, confusion and at higher exposures respiratory paralysis and death.
``We are also collaborating with health officers all over the country to ensure that the habit is stopped to save lives of our people,`` said Simwanza.
She said some people ate dry fish without cooking or boiling; thus exposing themselves to health problems because the chemical, when applied on fish, normally goes into the fish fats, which can later harm the consumer.
Simwanza said the proposed method was for consumers to boil or cook dried fish to 100-degree centigrade.
She said unlike the grains such as maize and beans, fish fats did absolve the chemical more quickly.
``This makes it dangerous for consumers as they might eat dry uncooked fish with active actellic and actellic super, thus ending up being affected,`` she said.
She said the authority had sent a task force to Rukwa Region to train people on using alternative ways of preserving fish.
She said the team was also working to establish the reason behind fish mongers using such a chemical.
Simwanza said fish dealers had been advised to use acceptable alternative methods of preserving fish that would minimize insect infestation such as salting of sliced fresh fish that are to be sun dried and smoking of unsalted fresh fish.
She said legal measures would be taken against fish dealers using the chemical on fish.
Dry fish is consumed almost all over the country. Most come from the Lake Victoria zone, Morogoro, Kilimanjaro, Coast, Rukwa and Kigoma regions.
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