The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians against the use of polythene bags popularly known as nylon in food packaging as it causes cancer.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, gave the warning while speaking with journalists in Abuja on March 2.
Adeyeye in her appeal to Nigerians stated that;
Packaging of pap in nylon is not encouraging; green leaves are all over the place, leaf is the best thing to use for packaging item and it must be clean. Nylon is not good for packaging hot food because the heat will make the nylon leak chemicals, it must be discouraged.
The DG while explaining that plastic materials usually have Bisphenol A (BPA) which can cause cancer, said the agency is carrying out study on different packaging of food, especially nylon and the results would be known soon.
She further cautioned against the use of aspirin to purify water, saying;
This amounts to adding salicylic acid into the water one intends to drink. Drinking water that contains salicylic acid can cause erosion of the intestine, cancer, ulcer and many more damages to human health.
The DG added that ‘the treatment of water with chlorine and alum must be minimal and must not exceed the required amount.’
