WE find no fresh, natural, or nutritious foods in its true sense in the kitchen markets, mainly in cities. The latest terrible news about contamination is tainted poultry and eggs which was reported by a National English daily which said the two popular and easy-to-afford protein sources are not safe any more as chickens are fed highly toxic tannery waste and excessive antibiotics, posing serious health threats for the consumers.
The report said a Dhaka University study recently found chromium ranging from 249 micrograms (mg) to 4,561mg per kg in chickens that consumed feed manufactured with tannery waste. The permissible limit is 10-60mg. The excess amount of chromium can be transported from poultry feed to the human body through the chicken leading to the carcinogenic effects on human beings like cancer, ulcer, liver cirrhosis and kidney damages, etc, the researchers found in the study.
Another research conducted by Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) in 2012 and 2013 said about 48 percent poultry feed contains tannery waste. It also detected antibiotics in eggs and chickens far beyond the acceptable limits. At farms in Bogra and Joypurhat, antibiotics-ciprofloxacin and sulphonamide – were found to be up to 96.40 mg per kg in chickens. And in 80 percent of the eggs, other antibiotics-sulphonamide, oxy-tetracycline and enrofloxacin-were found in a range of 30-570mg a kg though the limit is only 100-120mg per kg.
Bangladesh used to import various proteins for mixing in poultry feeds but as those are expensive a section of feed manufacturers started using protein generated from tannery waste at Dhaka’s Hazaribagh. Over 200 tannery factories in the area produce tonnes of solid waste every day. Cowhide contains high levels of protein. This is why feed producers target tannery waste. But as industries use chromium and other chemicals to tan hides, these remain in the feed prepared for poultry and thus enters the food chain.
Use of tannery waste makes poultry feed cheap while antibiotics help reduce the deaths of chicks. Antibiotics are used more at the sales points to protect chicks from disease and death. But the practices pose serious health risks to consumers already worried about reports of formalin and other chemicals in food. If one consumes chicken and eggs having antibiotics beyond the permissible level for five to six years, one will develop antibiotic resistance.
We say for the greed of a few, the whole nation cannot suffer. We want to get rid of the toxic foods. The government must act immediately by launching drives against such types of contaminated poultry feed that enter our body also. We have to get rid of the vicious cycle of toxic food for our own interests. We urge the government to crackdown on the unscrupulous traders, and create awareness to stop the menace. The will to stop this menace must exist or the entire nation will suffer.
