NAFDAC raids Borno fruit market where they use calcium carbide to ripen mangoes

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has conducted a raid on a market in Borno.

CONVERSEER learned that the raid which happened on Monday was conducted on the vegetable and fruit market in Gamboru, Maiduguri.

The raid was due to harmful practices involving the use of chemicals particularly calcium carbide to ripen mangoes, posing risks to human health.

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Calcium carbide also known as calcium acetylide is a greyish-black lump or crystalline (sand-like) powder with a garlic-like odour. It is used to generate Acetylene gas, as a reducing agent, and in steel manufacturing and metal cutting. It is a chemical compound with the chemical formula of CaC2.

Calcium carbide treatment of food is extremely hazardous because it contains traces of arsenic and phosphorous. Once dissolved in water, the carbide produces acetylene gas. Acetylene gas may affect the neurological system by inducing prolonged hypoxia.

Consumption of calcium carbide-ripened fruits can cause symptoms such as stomach pain, diarrhoea, and vomiting due to the chemicals used.