Dangerous Effects of Adulterants in Foods

Adulteration of food is common in developing countries. Prohibited substances are added to food for financial gain which leads to several health hazards for the consumers.

Here are dangerous ill-effects of some common adulterants in food substances.

Tea:

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Artificially colored saw dust or foreign leaves are mixed in tea leaves or teas dust. This leads to cancer and several health hazards.

Milk:

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Not only water but also starch, wheat flour, rice flour, arrow root etc are added to milk. Also dangerous substances like Pulverized soaps, detergents, Ammonium sulphate, Urea, boric acid are also added lead to cancers, Acute Renal failure etc.

Coffee Powder:

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Coffee powder is adulterated with roasted chicory. In recent days it is found that mixture of coal, clay, indigo and lead chromate are added to coffee powder which leads to paralysis and brain damage.

Ghee (Clarified Butter):

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Merchants used to adulterate Ghee by using vanaspathi (hydrogenated vegetable fat), but these days it is adulterated in a dangerous way; that is the bones of cows, donkeys, monkeys, horses, pigs, dogs etc were boiled in a huge pan and the obtained fat is added to ghee and mixed with some scented substances. This leads to chronic chest infections.

Food grains and pulses:

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Stones, sand and filth are mixed in food grains and pulses which damage the digestive tract.

Edible oils and fats:

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If the edible oils or fats are adulterated with Argemone oil, it leads to Glaucoma and sometimes cardiac arrest and the adulterant white oil and other petroleum fractions lead to cancer. In case oils are adulterated with Rancid oils it destroys vitamin A and E whereas if the adulterant is TCP it leads to severe paralysis.

Mustard seeds:

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Argemone seeds are mixed in mustard seeds and lead to epidemic dropsy.

Turmeric powder:

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Turmeric powder is adulterated with lead chromate. This leads to paralysis, anemia, brain damage and abortion.

Alcoholic liquors:

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These are contaminated with methanol which cause blindness and often death.

Fruits:

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It is a sad thing that these immoral merchants won’t leave even the natural foods. Fruits particularly apples and mangoes are sprayed over with lead arsenate that leads to chills, cramps, paralysis and death.