Doctors warn against buying glittering vegetables

TRICHY: Consumption of vegetables soaked in chemicals, adulterated groceries and vegetables with pesticide residue could have an adverse effect on humans in the long run, say doctors.
Expressing shock over the alleged practice of vegetables being soaked in chemicals, the doctors ring the alarm bell saying that it will be a double-whammy for the consumers who take pesticide-induced and chemical-soaked vegetables.
"We should check whether the chemicals have carcinogens because a lot of chemicals, which are being used in the market, have carcinogenic effect. When we use a chemical which is causing damage to one of the organs over a period of time it can become a carcinogen," said chairman of Dr G Viswanathan Speciality Hospitals, Trichy - general surgeon Dr K Govindaraj on Wednesday. Doctors warn of serious health complications such as cancer for taking such food items in the long-run.
A senior doctor said that exposure limit depends upon the intake of the food. "If someone takes 100 ppm per day regularly, it will cause gastric erosion and oesophagus erosion thus making chances for formation of tumours," he said. Associate professor of department of nutrition and dietetics at SRC College in Trichy N Chellam appealed to the people to go for locally-cultivated vegetables. "There are very minimal chances of farmers intentionally adding additives and it will be rich in nutrients also," she said.
Lifestyle medical consultant Dr R Akil Sharmila put the blame on the consumers for being crazy about the gleaming vegetables. "As long as our people are addicted to the habit of choosing ‘fresh’ vegetables, this menace will continue. Vegetable vendors on the roadsides are selling comparatively quality stuff," she said. Experts also urged the people to identify chemical-laced products by their appearance to avoid health hazards.