Niger State Environmental Protection Agency (NISEPA) General Manager, Lucky Barau, has cautioned fruit sellers, who are in the habit of using detergents to wash their fruits to stop forthwith, or face the implications of their actions.
This warning is coming against fears expressed by some Nigerlites of possible outbreak of food poisoning, due to the activities of fruit sellers, who use detergents to wash fruits, particularly oranges in the state.
Lucky in an interview condemned the use of detergent in washing fruits, because of the harmful chemical components used in the manufacture of such detergents, which he said could penetrate the tender cover of the oranges.
“As a government agency vested with the responsibility of protecting the environment, particularly as it relates to the health concerns of its citizenry, the agency will embark on a sensitization campaign to checkmate the trend”, he said.