16/04/2020
Unsafe levels of pesticides are present in around half of the vegetables and more than a
quarter of fruits sold in the capital’s markets, a recent survey has found. A 15-member team
of the National Food Safety Laboratory, with support from the Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO), came up with the findings after collecting and testing food samples from
the capital’s Gulshan, Karwanbazar and Mohakhali markets.
The survey report, a copy of which was acquired by the Dhaka Tribune, read that nearly 40%
of 82 samples of milk, milk products, fish, fruits and vegetables contained banned pesticides
such as DDT, Aldrin, Chlordane and Heptachlor. The amount of pesticides in these samples
were found to be 3 to 20 times greater than the limits set by the European Union. Around
50% vegetables and 35% fruits were found to be contaminated with unsafe level of pesticides.
Analysing more than 30 samples of turmeric powder (branded, packaged and open), the team
also found that nearly 30% of the samples contained traces of lead chromate, which can be
fatal if swallowed or inhaled. These samples also contained lead at 20 to 50 times above the
safety limit of 2.5 parts per million set by the Bangladesh Standard Testing Institute (BSTI).
Arsenic and Chromium above safety limits were detected in a total of 5 out of 13 rice samples.
Using a sensitive High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method developed by the
Food Safety Lab, 66 samples were analysed for the presence of formaldehyde. Adulteration
was thereby detected in samples of coriander, mango and fresh shrimps.
