South Africa keeps rates unchanged after unpredictable vote    Israel's c.bank chief: IDF shouldn't get 'blank check'    Egypt's gold prices fall on May 30th    KOTRA organises Egypt-Korea cooperation seminar on electronics industry    MSMEDA encourages enterprise owners to shift to formal sector: Rahmi    Ancient Egyptians may have attempted early cancer treatment surgery    Indian rupee to slip on rising US yields, dollar    Egypt, China strengthen ties on 10th anniversary of strategic partnership    Israel takes control of Philadelphia Corridor along Gaza-Egypt border    Egypt reaffirms commitment to African cooperation at AfDB Meetings    Germany approves carbon transport, storage proposals    Thailand seeks entry into BRICS    Abdel Ghaffar discuss cooperation in health sector with General Electric Company    Grand Egyptian Museum opening: Madbouly reviews final preparations    Valu Partners with Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation to streamline donations for New Cairo centre    Kremlin accuses NATO of direct involvement in Ukraine conflict as fighting intensifies    Madinaty's inaugural Skydiving event boosts sports tourism appeal    Tunisia's President Saied reshuffles cabinet amidst political tension    US Embassy in Cairo brings world-famous Harlem Globetrotters to Egypt    Instagram Celebrates African Women in 'Made by Africa, Loved by the World' 2024 Campaign    US Biogen agrees to acquire HI-Bio for $1.8b    Egypt to build 58 hospitals by '25    Giza Pyramids host Egypt's leg of global 'One Run' half-marathon    Madinaty to host "Fly Over Madinaty" skydiving event    World Bank assesses Cairo's major waste management project    Egyptian consortium nears completion of Tanzania's Julius Nyerere hydropower project    Sweilam highlights Egypt's water needs, cooperation efforts during Baghdad Conference    Swiss freeze on Russian assets dwindles to $6.36b in '23    Egyptian public, private sectors off on Apr 25 marking Sinai Liberation    Debt swaps could unlock $100b for climate action    Amal Al Ghad Magazine congratulates President Sisi on new office term    Financial literacy becomes extremely important – EGX official    Euro area annual inflation up to 2.9% – Eurostat    BYD، Brazil's Sigma Lithium JV likely    UNESCO celebrates World Arabic Language Day    Motaz Azaiza mural in Manchester tribute to Palestinian journalists    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Regrettable closure of dioxin-testing lab
Published in The Egyptian Gazette on 05 - 08 - 2011

CAIRO - It is regrettable that certain senior officials ordered the closure of the only laboratory in Egypt that analysed compounds that are harmful to human health, such as carcinogenic dioxins found in foodstuffs.
It was officials in the Control Export and Import Authority who ordered this lab closed, in the interests of a number of Egyptian importers, regardless of the health of the public, especially children who consume milk, biscuits and other foodstuffs from abroad that may contain dioxins.
The lab, affiliated to the Ministry of Agriculture, is responsible for examining consignments of imported foodstuffs.
In future, such consignments will only be exposed to a superficial examination in other Ministry of Health laboratories, which are not qualified to detect dioxins in foodstuffs, according to the Manager of the Central Laboratory, Sohair A. Gad.
Dioxins, the most dangerous pollutants in foodstuffs, may be found in dairy products, meat, poultry and fish.
“Such pollutants are also found in industrial countries and the Central Laboratory has previously rejected a number of consignments of milk and fish, because they contain high levels of dioxins.
“Analysing dioxins is complicated and expensive, so some governmental authorities have resorted to the old testing methods known as PCBs, but these cannot detect dioxins,“ Sohair explains.
“Only the Central Laboratory at the Ministry of Agriculture was capable of testing for dioxins and training technicians to do so.”
She said that the Central Laboratory had been testing foodstuffs for dioxins since 1996 and that the State shouldn't have closed it down, for the sake of citizens' health.
Meanwhile, Mohssen Siyam, Director-General of Veterinary Quarantine, has appealed to the new Minister of Agriculture, Salah Youssef, to reopen the Central Laboratory, because contaminated foodstuffs are now entering the country undetected.
He told Al-Ahram semi-official newspaper that former Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade Boutros Boutros Ghali sometimes allowed consignments of imported foodstuffs unfit for human consumption to enter the country, for the benefit of certain businessmen.
Professor of Ecology Samia Galal says that dioxins pose the biggest danger to human health and the environment.
In 1977, it was discovered that dioxins cause skin cancer, infertility in both sexes and defects in the immune system. They also harm the lungs.


Clic here to read the story from its source.