NAGALAND: INTERDICTION OF FISH SALE IN THE STATE

Use of formalin sensed in the fishes sold

The Nagaland Govt's ban on sale of fish (for a period of three months or till corrective measures are taken), due to use of dangerous chemicals (formalin) in fish sold in the state, is a major step taken by the government. Formalin which is used to preserve the dead bodies is a lethal chemical. It can cause serious health problems even if consumed in small quantity.

According to the report of World Health Medicine, Formalin is actually a name of a chemical substance consisting of a mixture of formaldehyde, methanol and water. Because it is widely used as a preservative of dead bodies. But lately often misused as a food preservative. For example, if we combine this formalin into a material such as fish meat, the formalin will be absorbed by the meat of fish with ease, then formalin will remove cells from the fish meat and replace it with a more rigid formaldehyde.

The result will be preserved meat or fish did survive for a long time, besides that the fish meat will not rot, because formaldehyde was capable of killing microbes or germs which are usually small role in the process of decay. Let us imagine if the meat was preserved with formalin before we eat, sad, of course very dangerous.

Meanwhile, when used to preserve corpses, obviously very helpful, because it was fast decaying corpse, using formalin , then the body can survive long enough.

If you frequently eat foods that are preserved with formalin, it will over time can cause irritation to the stomach so the blood can cause vomiting, or diarrhea mixed with blood, urine or blood and could also potentially cause death. But this rarely happens, because it required a large dose of formalin.

The most common is chronic poisoning due to eating foods that are often preserved with formalin, is usually damaged kidneys or can cause cancer in the future. So be careful buying food and eating food. Should be wary of foods that use formaldehyde as a preservative.