Food adulteration with formalin is a major cause for concern now a days. Formalin is a colorless chemical substance commonly used to preserve food for long time. Widespread use of formalin in Bangladesh poses a public health threat and has devastating effects on human body in the long run.

Formalin is of a mixture traditionally used in textiles, plastics, papers, paint, construction industry and well known to preserve human corpse. When it is mixed with food in excess amount, the chemical is converted into more rigid substance called formaldehyde that gives the lasting rigidity of the food for long term preservation. Besides, formaldehyde is capable of killing microbes or germs which are usually responsible for the process of decay of food.

Understanding formalin inside or not?

Best option for detection of formalin is to test with formalin kits. However, some general features described below may tell you whether the food is adulterated with formalin or not.

• The fish will be stiff, have rubbery meat, hard scales, red gills, clear eyes, does not have the fishy smell and no flies will be flying around.
• Fruits get light yellowish color, the skin tends to be elastic, with a drug-like odor or ash-like odor when boiled or mixed with hot water.

Health hazards of formalin

Formalin is a dangerous and toxic material for human health. If it goes into our bodies along with food in high amount, the chemical will react with almost all substances in the cells so that death of cells occur and our body get poisoned.

Besides, formalin in the body also cause  stomach irritation, allergy, vomiting, bloody diarrhoea, urine mixed with blood, carcinogenic effect (causing cancer), changes in cell function, may damage kidneys and even may cause death by causing circulatory failure.

Tips to reduction of formalin in food

The level of formalin in food can be reduced but not fully removed. There are easy and inexpensive ways that cheap very cheap and easy to do that. Such as:

• Soaking of fish in two kinds of solvents — water and salt. Soaking in water for 60 minutes is able to lower the rate to 61.25 percent formalin and soaking in salt water is able to reduce formalin to 89.53 percent.
• Another way is to soak fish in vinegar for 15 minutes.
• Soaking of fruits in hot water for 30 minutes. It could eliminate formalin up to 70 percent.

The writer is In- Charge, Dietetics and Nutrition Department, United Hospital Ltd. E-mail: [email protected]