Science Minister Warns Against Preserving Food With Formalin


The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has asked traders to stop using formalin to preserve food items since it was dangerous to human health.

He said formalin is being used particularly to preserve “Koobi,” dried tilapia, and that was a recipe to cause cancer in people.

Formalin in fish makes it stiff, have rubbery meat, hard scales, red gills, clear eyes, and take away it “fishy smell” and no flies flying around.

“This chemical, is usually used to stop dead bodies from rotting," he said.

Formalin is a colourless strong-smelling chemical substance usually used in industry of textiles, plastics, papers, paint, construction, and well known to preserve human corpse.

It is derived from formaldehyde gas dissolved in water, post on the site of the BIMC Hospital Nusa Dua, the first hospital in Indonesia with accreditation from Australian Council on Healthcare Standard International (ACHSI), he explained.

According to Prof. Frimpong Boateng, exposure from its gas or vapour could cause irritation to the eyes, nose and respiratory tract, causing sneezing, sore throat, larynx constriction, bronchitis and pneumonia. 

Multiple exposures can lead to asthma. It can also affect the skin, causing dermatitis or allergic reaction.

GBC