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Experts for ensuring public safety
from pesticides in soft drinks
5/27/2004
Environmentalists,
experts and journalists urged the government to
become pro-active and make stringent regulations
for ensuring elimination of harmful pesticides
residue in junk food and soft drinks, if any,
reports BSS. They also advised the consumers
to become aware and pro-active against the
presence of harmful pesticide residue in junk food
and soft drinks, but free use of natural resources
like water. They made these calls at a lecture
session on 'Pesticide in Pepsi and Coca-Cola in
India' organized by the Forum of Environmental
Journalists of Bangladesh (FEJB) at its conference
room in city Wednesday. Bangladesh
Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC)
Chairman Syed Marghub Morshed addressed the
session as the chief guest. Managing Editor of
the Down to Earth, a monthly journal of the Centre
for Science and Environment (CSE), which has
launched a research based campaign for stringent
regulations for ensuring pesticides residue free
food and drinks, Pradip Saha presented the keynote
paper. Syed Marghub Morshed said that it was
the prime responsibility of the government to take
adequate measures for ensuring pesticides free
food and drinks for the public interest. "The
government, civil society and media should act
soon against indiscriminate presence of deadly
pesticides and chemical residues in junk food and
soft drinks," he said. "The consumers should
be too aware of their consumption pattern,
specially keeping in mind that it had adverse
effects on health and proper growth of children",
he added. Pradip Saha said that all samples of
Pepsi and Coca-Cola, which were tested in the CSE
and public laboratories in India, found presence
of deadly pesticide residues. He said that the
pesticides, which were found in those soft drinks
samples, were DDT,
Lindane, Chlorphyrifos and
Malathion pose long-term health hazards. He
told that presence of those pesticides in Indian
samples was all high compared to European Union
(EU) standard. In Indian Coca Cola, the presence
of pesticides was 45 times, in Fanta 43 times, in
Mirinda orange 39 times, in Limca 30 times, in
Pepsi 37 times, in 7Up 33 times, in Blue Pepsi 29
times, in Mountain Dew 28 times, in Thumps Up 22
times, in Diet Coke times 14 times and in Sprite
11 times higher than EU standard. He said
these 'life style products' do not have any
nutrition value. Pradip said the producers of
those soft drinks maintain double standard for
maximising their profit. "The Pepsi and
Coca-Cola samples, manufactured and sold in the
United States, were, however, tested and found
free from pesticides residue." "None,
including the governments, even do not think to
challenge those companies as they are big names."
He added that the ground water used in these
industries as raw materials was not regulated and
these companies did not pay for water.
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