Sri Lankans will be looking forward to celebrating the Sinhala and Tamil New Year this week, having been deprived of the opportunity last year due to the Covid-19 lockdown. It is quite obvious that a sense of complacency has set in as far as the Covid mitigatory measures are concerned, with people being fatigued by the extraordinary measures that have been in place for over a year now.
The danger of letting the guard down, especially during this festive season when celebrations usually involve community participation, is that the threat of the virus spreading is much greater this time around than during the last Sinhala and Tamil New Year, when the entire country was in lockdown, and the spread was successfully contained as a result of it.
However, with only 900,000 individuals inoculated so far, out of a population of 21 million, that too just one dose, the threat of another surge in numbers is a very real possibility in the post New Year period, if people continue to throw caution to the wind, as is apparent today. More cause for concern is the fact that, as at now, there is no exact date for the shipment of new stocks of vaccines, and officials estimate that it will be around June when the Russian Sputnik V vaccines arrive in the country, with India having suspended its supply of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines owing to critical local demand.
To assume that the Covid threat has now passed would be a grave miscalculation on the part of the authorities, whose basis for such assumption is the record of daily patient numbers. Serious questions have been raised by the government doctors themselves over the scope of the current testing programme. They are of the view that the lower number of patients being recorded could be misleading, as the sampling base is much lower than what it was five or six months ago.
Many parts of Europe are now undergoing a third wave, while Brazil has been averaging 4,000-plus deaths a day, creating an unprecedented crisis in that country. Closer to home, India is currently recording the highest-ever patient numbers on a daily basis, averaging around 130,000 new cases a day. With Sri Lanka further easing travel restrictions to its lowest level since the measures were first imposed in March last year, we can only hope that things don’t take a turn for the worse. Therefore, it is essential that the authorities take the lead in shaking off public complacency in maintaining the strict health protocols that have so far helped save the country from a real health crisis.
Be that as it may, there is another health crisis brewing right before our eyes, but no one – not even the authorities whose job it is to watch out for just that occurrence – seem to care about it. The Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) is the sole state entity bestowed with the role of checking on the quality of products consumed by the people in this country. Going by recent revelations of the administrative head of that institution, its Director General, it appears that the average person is consuming large quantities of poisonous, cancer-causing food items on a daily basis.
When questioned as to why the SLSI has chosen to turn a blind eye to this criminal activity, the Director General took up the stance that if the institution decides to penalise the companies involved, they would go out of business. So the unmistakable inference is that the SLSI is more concerned about the financial health of some companies feeding poison to the people than the health and wellbeing of the people.
It is reported that over 30 people die every day in Sri Lanka from some form of cancer. Those who are lucky enough to have it detected early end up at the Cancer Hospital in Maharagama, while others fall victim to it unknown to the last. Thousands of other patients are lying on hospital beds all over the country, suffering from liver and kidney disease, primarily caused by consuming toxins.
It has been found that the food that people consume in this country have some of the highest levels of harmful chemicals in comparison to other countries. In some cases, the level of chemicals present in raw food items such as fruits and vegetables, is six to seven times higher than the permissible level. This is because, from the time the seed is planted, it is sprayed with toxins starting from fertiliser containing poisonous substances, and as the plant grows, it is sprayed with weedicides and insecticides. Then, once the produce is harvested, they are treated with other chemicals to prolong shelf life. Exotic fruits are the biggest casualty in this category. Finally, what goes into the stomach is a cocktail of toxins that far outweigh the nutritional benefit it is supposed to provide.
The examples are numerous; but one that was quite shocking was the revelation that jackfruit (kos) and the young jackfruit (polos) are treated with toilet cleaning chemicals to slow down the ripening process. Even seafood, dry fish, and meat produce have not been spared, with chicken being known to be injected or fed with growth hormones, seafood being dipped in formalin, and meat produce once again dipped in all kinds of chemicals to improve appearance and prolong shelf life. Even the humble pot of curd – synonymous with this festive season – has not been spared, and it is difficult to find a product free of shelf life-enhancing toxins.
The list goes on. Recent research has revealed that most of the milk powder and malted milk products, margarines, and fat spreads that are being openly touted as healthy for children are in fact packed with palm oil extract, and exactly the opposite to the promised health benefits. Processed meat, ready-to-drink milk products, candy, chewing gum, and energy drinks are all laced with harmful ingredients and targeted at the youth category. Also on the harmful list are soaps and beauty products of all kinds that are sold in the millions to unsuspecting customers, while the state agency that is supposed to weed out such products is looking the other way – because if it does its job, these companies will go out of business! The most affected by this is the middle class that has no option but to consume what is available on the supermarket shelves.
Which politician in this country is even bothered about acknowledging the fact that what we have on our hands is a deadly problem, which if not seriously addressed immediately is only going to get worse, and transform into a health crisis that would make Covid look like an itch. Medical experts are already warning that if the current trend of poisoning for profit is not arrested, the number of cancer patients will grow to unmanageable proportions.
It is thanks to the coconut oil import scam that the spotlight has finally been turned on to this deadly issue of toxins in food. The fact that there are businessmen willing to import hundreds of thousands of tonnes of cooking oil harmful to human health, and then blend it with locally produced coconut oil so that the “coconut oil” label could be used to market the product, is simply unconscionable, and no stone should be left unturned in identifying and exposing the criminals behind this multi-billion-rupee racket.
The Government owes it to the already victimised public to go the full distance in hunting down those involved. It is therefore heartening that a special police investigative team headed by an ASP has been appointed for this very purpose. It is hoped that this investigation will not go the way of many others, and be shoved under the carpet when big names are unearthed. If and when the culprits are punished, it would indeed be a watershed event that would signal the beginning of the war on this most common yet most heinous crime of poisoning and killing people in broad daylight. Killing the silent killer
11 Apr 2021
Killing the silent killer
11 Apr 2021
Sri Lankans will be looking forward to celebrating the Sinhala and Tamil New Year this week, having been deprived of the opportunity last year due to the Covid-19 lockdown. It is quite obvious that a sense of complacency has set in as far as the Covid mitigatory measures are concerned, with people being fatigued by the extraordinary measures that have been in place for over a year now.
The danger of letting the guard down, especially during this festive season when celebrations usually involve community participation, is that the threat of the virus spreading is much greater this time around than during the last Sinhala and Tamil New Year, when the entire country was in lockdown, and the spread was successfully contained as a result of it.
However, with only 900,000 individuals inoculated so far, out of a population of 21 million, that too just one dose, the threat of another surge in numbers is a very real possibility in the post New Year period, if people continue to throw caution to the wind, as is apparent today. More cause for concern is the fact that, as at now, there is no exact date for the shipment of new stocks of vaccines, and officials estimate that it will be around June when the Russian Sputnik V vaccines arrive in the country, with India having suspended its supply of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines owing to critical local demand.
To assume that the Covid threat has now passed would be a grave miscalculation on the part of the authorities, whose basis for such assumption is the record of daily patient numbers. Serious questions have been raised by the government doctors themselves over the scope of the current testing programme. They are of the view that the lower number of patients being recorded could be misleading, as the sampling base is much lower than what it was five or six months ago.
Many parts of Europe are now undergoing a third wave, while Brazil has been averaging 4,000-plus deaths a day, creating an unprecedented crisis in that country. Closer to home, India is currently recording the highest-ever patient numbers on a daily basis, averaging around 130,000 new cases a day. With Sri Lanka further easing travel restrictions to its lowest level since the measures were first imposed in March last year, we can only hope that things don’t take a turn for the worse. Therefore, it is essential that the authorities take the lead in shaking off public complacency in maintaining the strict health protocols that have so far helped save the country from a real health crisis.
Be that as it may, there is another health crisis brewing right before our eyes, but no one – not even the authorities whose job it is to watch out for just that occurrence – seem to care about it. The Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) is the sole state entity bestowed with the role of checking on the quality of products consumed by the people in this country. Going by recent revelations of the administrative head of that institution, its Director General, it appears that the average person is consuming large quantities of poisonous, cancer-causing food items on a daily basis.
When questioned as to why the SLSI has chosen to turn a blind eye to this criminal activity, the Director General took up the stance that if the institution decides to penalise the companies involved, they would go out of business. So the unmistakable inference is that the SLSI is more concerned about the financial health of some companies feeding poison to the people than the health and wellbeing of the people.
It is reported that over 30 people die every day in Sri Lanka from some form of cancer. Those who are lucky enough to have it detected early end up at the Cancer Hospital in Maharagama, while others fall victim to it unknown to the last. Thousands of other patients are lying on hospital beds all over the country, suffering from liver and kidney disease, primarily caused by consuming toxins.
It has been found that the food that people consume in this country have some of the highest levels of harmful chemicals in comparison to other countries. In some cases, the level of chemicals present in raw food items such as fruits and vegetables, is six to seven times higher than the permissible level. This is because, from the time the seed is planted, it is sprayed with toxins starting from fertiliser containing poisonous substances, and as the plant grows, it is sprayed with weedicides and insecticides. Then, once the produce is harvested, they are treated with other chemicals to prolong shelf life. Exotic fruits are the biggest casualty in this category. Finally, what goes into the stomach is a cocktail of toxins that far outweigh the nutritional benefit it is supposed to provide.
The examples are numerous; but one that was quite shocking was the revelation that jackfruit (kos) and the young jackfruit (polos) are treated with toilet cleaning chemicals to slow down the ripening process. Even seafood, dry fish, and meat produce have not been spared, with chicken being known to be injected or fed with growth hormones, seafood being dipped in formalin, and meat produce once again dipped in all kinds of chemicals to improve appearance and prolong shelf life. Even the humble pot of curd – synonymous with this festive season – has not been spared, and it is difficult to find a product free of shelf life-enhancing toxins.
The list goes on. Recent research has revealed that most of the milk powder and malted milk products, margarines, and fat spreads that are being openly touted as healthy for children are in fact packed with palm oil extract, and exactly the opposite to the promised health benefits. Processed meat, ready-to-drink milk products, candy, chewing gum, and energy drinks are all laced with harmful ingredients and targeted at the youth category. Also on the harmful list are soaps and beauty products of all kinds that are sold in the millions to unsuspecting customers, while the state agency that is supposed to weed out such products is looking the other way – because if it does its job, these companies will go out of business! The most affected by this is the middle class that has no option but to consume what is available on the supermarket shelves.
Which politician in this country is even bothered about acknowledging the fact that what we have on our hands is a deadly problem, which if not seriously addressed immediately is only going to get worse, and transform into a health crisis that would make Covid look like an itch. Medical experts are already warning that if the current trend of poisoning for profit is not arrested, the number of cancer patients will grow to unmanageable proportions.
It is thanks to the coconut oil import scam that the spotlight has finally been turned on to this deadly issue of toxins in food. The fact that there are businessmen willing to import hundreds of thousands of tonnes of cooking oil harmful to human health, and then blend it with locally produced coconut oil so that the “coconut oil” label could be used to market the product, is simply unconscionable, and no stone should be left unturned in identifying and exposing the criminals behind this multi-billion-rupee racket.
The Government owes it to the already victimised public to go the full distance in hunting down those involved. It is therefore heartening that a special police investigative team headed by an ASP has been appointed for this very purpose. It is hoped that this investigation will not go the way of many others, and be shoved under the carpet when big names are unearthed. If and when the culprits are punished, it would indeed be a watershed event that would signal the beginning of the war on this most common yet most heinous crime of poisoning and killing people in broad daylight. Kapruka
Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!
Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!