Ethylene oxide

26.04.2024

Ethylene oxide

Why in the news?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

           After Hong Kong gave green signal to 4 MDH, Everest products, FSSAI has started checking the quality of spices in India.

Important points:

• Hong Kong's food regulator the Center for Food Safety had identified that four products from spice brands MDH and Everest contained the pesticide ethylene oxide, which is classified as a Group-1 carcinogen by the IARC.
• Indian food-safety regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has started sampling powdered spices of all brands, including MDH and Everest, across the country following quality concerns by Singapore and Hong Kong.
• Hong Kong's food regulator found that three of MDH's products – Madras Curry Powder (spice mix for Madras curry), Sambhar Masala Mixed Spice Powder, and Curry Powder Mixed Spice Powder – and Everest Fish Curry Masala contained the pesticide ethylene oxide.

About Ethylene Oxide:

• Ethylene oxide is a pesticide classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
• Which means there is enough evidence from human studies that it can cause cancer?
• It is used by the spice industry as a fumigant to reduce microbial contamination such as E. coli and Salmonella.
• It is a colorless, highly flammable and highly reactive gas that kills bacteria, viruses and fungi.
• It is an industrial chemical.
• Ethylene oxide was banned by the European Union (EU) in 2011 for fumigation of food and animal feed during transportation and storage.
• The use of ethylene oxide is now permitted only in the disinfection and sterilization of medical equipment.
• Operating under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, FSSAI regularly collects samples of spices from the market to check the quality of products sold in the domestic market.
• FSSAI does not allow the use of ethylene oxide in any food product.

How harmful can ethylene oxide be?

• Ethylene oxide can damage DNA during sterilization processes.
• This can lead to long-term, persistent exposure over time, which is linked to an increased risk of cancers such as leukemia, stomach cancer, and breast cancer.
• It can also cause respiratory irritation and lung injury, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and shortness of breath.

                                                            Source: Business standard