Thai Health Ministry warns of increasing use of formalin by vendors at fresh markets

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Health ministry warns of increasing use of formalin by vendors at fresh markets



BANGKOK: -- The Public Health Ministry has warned consumers to be aware of buying fresh food and vegetable at fresh markets as now use of formalin among vendors is increasing and could be hazardous to their health.

Vendors are found to use formalin to keep their merchandise fresh.

The ministry’s permanent secretary Dr Narong Sahametapat said formalin poses serious harm to both consumers and vendors due to severe side effects associated with the chemical.

He said formalin is a solution containing 40% formaldehyde.

Health officials found the use of the corpse-preserving substance at five fresh and weekly markets in Nakhon Sawan late last month.

According to him the Department of Health officials collected 275 food samples from two fresh markets and three weekly markets in Nakhon Sawan Muang district, Thatako and Chum Saeng districts.

They found that 102 samples or 37% contained formalin. At major fresh markets, formalin was found in as many as 59% of collected samples.

They said foods that were found to be contaminated included squid, shrimp, chopped ginger, chopped finger root, straw mushrooms, grey oyster mushrooms, black mushrooms, long beans and oak-leaf ferns.

The permanent secretary said he has ordered health officials to locate the sources of formalin use and take action against these vendors.

Formalin was prohibited from use on food. Its use posed dangers to both consumers and vendors because the substance was lethal and carcinogenic.

At the same time, director-general of the Department of Health Dr Porntep Siriwanarangsun said the detection of formalin use by food vendors showed that they are turning from sodium hydrosulfite to formalin to preserve fresh food.

Formalin is a clear liquid and its vapor could harm almost all systems of the human body. Its acidic properties destroy cells. Vendors exposed to low levels of formalin vapor will suffer eye and respiratory irritation. Those heavily exposed to formalin risk serious breathing difficulties, lung inflammation, pulmonary congestion and even death.

The tests focus on six hazardous substances known for use on fresh food, namely borax, sodium hydrosulfite, pesticides, salicylic acid, formalin and salbutamol.

He said consumers of food with high formalin content will experience severe headache, chest pains and stomachache, vomiting and diarrhea.

But he advised that consumers could test vegetables for formalin by smelling their leaves or breaking their stems and smelling them.

If they have a strong smell and cause irritation, they should not buy them.

Meat with a strong smell should not be bought either,” he said adding that consumers can remove formalin from vegetables by rinsing them for 5-10 minutes under running water or placing them for one hour in still water.

Health officials are testing samples of foods nationwide to check for hazardous contamination. Cancer continues to be the most common cause of death among Thai people and consumption of hazardous foods is one cause.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/health-ministry-warns-increasing-use-formalin-vendors-fresh-markets/


-- Thai PBS 2014-02-25

[swifty5x5]

Show your Thainess.

[Cylon]

Nothing is safe in Thailand. The land of greed

[Ricardo]

Does it also work to 'freshen' old rice ?

[Crushdepth]

It would be nice if the ministry started penalising vendors that do this.

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[noikrit]

This has been going on for years ..... Grow your own I say ....

[Yunla]

You could live on imported crisps and still be healthier than if you lived on some of the fruit and veg here. Some of the greens have 202x the safe EU limit of pesticides, and they include pesticides that are banned around the world for being too toxic even in trace amounts, and that is dangerous even before the formalin etc. is added. Regulation of food safety is a critically important issue here that needs to be prioritised by whichever party gets to wear the shiny hat for a few years. The toxins are especially dangerous to young children, who paradoxically of course need more fruit and veg for their growing bodies. This, along with roads, driving-standards, railways, bridges, water-supervision etc. fall under the same public safety regulation umbrella which is desperately neglected by the political players here. There needs to be less focus on wrestling control of the reins of power, and much more focus on establishing safety regulations when you are holding the reins of power. It won't happen anytime soon, not until a serious political party arrives. The problem Thailand will face is that infants are eating these toxins every day, and will grow up as a sick workforce requiring medical attention and unable to operate at a competitive level compared to nations that regulate products to protect citizens' health.

Edited February 25, 2014 by Yunla

[Thait Spot]

Sounds like some local beers use it too.

And for sure the side effects are the same

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[tomyummer]

Okay, this is scarier than the grilled pork smoke. The use of 'corpse preserving substance' just paints a gross picture. Yikes.

[Brevity]

It would be nice if the ministry started penalising vendors that do this.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Exactly.

Nothing has been mentioned about any punishment or penalties for potentially poisoning people. The fact that there are no real deterrents to this type of behavior seems to be a big problem in this country.. If you just tell them not to do it again without penalty, nothing is going to change and they will do it again and again and...

I understand borax is not easily available in Thailand because of this same problem. It was used by sleazy market vendors to keep meat looking fresh, so they made it harder to purchase. They obviously need to do the same with formalin. After that, the Thais can look for another harmful substance to replace it.

Do these people actually understand anything about Buddhism? I don't think Buddha would approve of slowly poisoning people, especially for profit.

[Bung]

I've been buying organic vegetables at Rimping market and wondering if it is worth the extra cost. Now I know it is.

[jaltsc]

"He said formalin is a solution containing 40% formaldehyde."

And...It never crosses his mind to create legislation which would effectively ban the use of formalin and enact heavy penelties for those who use it? It's amazaing how Thais appear to be so proud of their nationality, yet do nothing to protect its citizens. Many of the health legislation is only for show with no teeth for enforcement. 2000 baht fine for smoking tobacco in a publc place? When was the last time you saw anyone asked to stop smoking, let alone fined for breaking that law? Underage drinking and operating motor vehicles? Both are flaunted in public and in front of law enforcement officers with no action taken to stop either one. Domestic violence? Many Thai men wear spousal abuse as a badge of honor.

Thais seem to be disappointed that they do not receive the respect from the international community which they think they deserve. How can they expect respect from outsiders when they don't respect, protect and educate their own?

Edited February 25, 2014 by jaltsc

[Brevity]

I've been buying organic vegetables at Rimping market and wondering if it is worth the extra cost. Now I know it is.

How can you be so confident that they are actually organic? I understand that there is no real certification authority here, and if there is, I suspect it is open to corruption like everything else here. I would love to buy organic, but have very little faith in Thai integrity when it comes to things like this. I think that they just don't quite understand something like organic farming and think all the proper steps are just silliness or overdoing it.

[Andre0720]

I got real sick eating large shrimps some years ago in Kata. Formalin...

Stayed away from shrimps for a few years....

Those big expensive ones....

If not sold on that first day....they just add a bit of freshener....

[Yunla]

This link again;

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/THE-PESTICIDES-ON-OUR-PLATES-30188702.html

There have been four or five of these reports lately and they found food marked "Quality" etc. as having the same dangerous levels as normal food. I was told that organic food here often isn't remotely organic, because there is no regulation you can basically call your food whatever you want to. Obviously there are some genuine organic sellers, but it is needle-in-a-haystack really and the recent tests at the very posh high-end shops showed their healthy quality products were the same toxicity as the cheapest street food. Buyer beware.

As it is a developing nation we wouldn't expect 100% safe foods, but there should still be a lot more focus on regulation than there is. I don't mind eating non-organic food in the EU, but out here the levels are so much higher and cocktails of banned chemicals too, makes it much more off-putting.

[berg1666]

The Mrs used to work for a seafood wholesaler in Bangkok. She stopped eating any seafood after a while unless she knew exactly where it came from; everything at that wholesaler (both locally sourced and imported) was dosed with formalin.

[bamboozled]

So what the heck are we supposed to eat? Soak it, boil it, wash it, peel it to start, I guess. Is there a home test kit for this (these) substance(s)? That would be helpful... Back to boiling...sure, that removes a lot of the nutrients, but would a quick boil, a blanch, remove a lot of the poisons?

[bangkokpoppys]

Okay, this is scarier than the grilled pork smoke. The use of 'corpse preserving substance' just paints a gross picture. Yikes.

I thought my carrots were a bit "stuff".

[Brevity]

So what the heck are we supposed to eat? Soak it, boil it, wash it, peel it to start, I guess. Is there a home test kit for this (these) substance(s)? That would be helpful... Back to boiling...sure, that removes a lot of the nutrients, but would a quick boil, a blanch, remove a lot of the poisons?

Good question

I stopped eating things like long beans and leafy veggies like kale, etc. here some time ago. When I eat any Thai veggies, I always soak them for a quite a while hoping to remove most of the chemicals, and I never eat veggies in restaurants anymore because I suspect they aren't even washed, let alone soaked. But somebody in another similar thread mentioned frozen as an alternative. It would make sense that there would no need use formalin for them, and part of the freezing process for veggies is to blanch them.

[Yunla]

Good question

I stopped eating things like long beans and leafy veggies like kale, etc. here some time ago. When I eat any Thai veggies, I always soak them for a quite a while hoping to remove most of the chemicals, and I never eat veggies in restaurants anymore because I suspect they aren't even washed, let alone soaked. But somebody in another similar thread mentioned frozen as an alternative. It would make sense that there would no need use formalin for them, and part of the freezing process for veggies is to blanch them.

Tesco sells imported frozen peas beans etc. that are from New Zealand and are therefor strictly regulated compared to local produce. I buy the Tescos frozen peas a lot and they are very wholesome and actually taste like peas lol.

[Estrada]

I used to use formalin as a preservative for organic polymer flocculants but became allergic to the vapour even at 0.05ppm. They used to uses it in Hospitals here and my eyes would sting and I found it difficult to breathe. After a few years of complaining they seem to have stopped using it. It is a very good disinfectant and embalming fluid however. I think they are still using Borax to coat the meat they hang in the market if you are wondering why the meat doesn't seem to go off in these temperatures.

Edited February 25, 2014 by Estrada

[Brevity]

I got real sick eating large shrimps some years ago in Kata. Formalin...

Stayed away from shrimps for a few years....

Those big expensive ones....

If not sold on that first day....they just add a bit of freshener....

I am just curious how you could be sure it was formalin. I am not challenging you. I just want to know if there is a practical way to check for the stuff. After all, seafood goes off quickly in the Thai heat, so If I got sick from eating some, I would assume it was bad food.

[Brevity]

Good question

I stopped eating things like long beans and leafy veggies like kale, etc. here some time ago. When I eat any Thai veggies, I always soak them for a quite a while hoping to remove most of the chemicals, and I never eat veggies in restaurants anymore because I suspect they aren't even washed, let alone soaked. But somebody in another similar thread mentioned frozen as an alternative. It would make sense that there would no need use formalin for them, and part of the freezing process for veggies is to blanch them.

Tesco sells imported frozen peas beans etc. that are from New Zealand and are therefor strictly regulated compared to local produce. I buy the Tescos frozen peas a lot and they are very wholesome and actually taste like peas lol.

Thanks for the info. I have been only eating imported frozen fish, so I guess it's going to be the same for veggies.

I am pretty certain that if there is anything that will cause me to pack my bags and relocate back to my country of origin, it is going to be concerns about a lack or no application of health and safety standard here in Thailand,

[ChrisY1]

All we need now......Eat vegetables in Thailand and auto embalm!

[Thait Spot]

Europe finds a bit of horse meat in some products posing no risk to health and destroys massive amounts from the shelves of supermarkets.

Thailand finds huge and widespread use of toxins to keep food "fresh" posing a clear risk to health and does nothing.

Speaks volumes

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[Thait Spot]

I used to use formalin as a preservative for organic polymer flocculants but became allergic to the vapour even at 0.05ppm. They used to uses it in Hospitals here and my eyes would sting and I found it difficult to breathe. After a few years of complaining they seem to have stopped using it. It is a very good disinfectant and embalming fluid however. I think they are still using Borax to coat the meat they hang in the market if you are wondering why the meat doesn't seem to go off in these temperatures.

What were you flocculating?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Lupatria]

It would be nice if the ministry started penalising vendors that do this.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

...but this is a country where logical consequences are not in favour of bahtism...

Ever wondered about the number of flies you will see when you leave a plate with minimal food leftovers at your open window? So why is it you won't spot any around the fish, chicken and meat on the uncovered sales tables at the wet market?

Stupidity, lack of education and greed seem to be vital aspects of what is commonly known as "thainess." The logic behind this is: I may get poisened, as well as my family and you,- after YOU paid for it!

Edited February 25, 2014 by Lupatria

[skorchio]

I've been buying organic vegetables at Rimping market and wondering if it is worth the extra cost. Now I know it is.

Who regulates the 'Organic' certificate or classification? I am of the opinion that even in Europe's seemingly well-regulated market, the organic label is a load of bolox. And we know about regulation here, dont we?

[AllanB]

It would be nice if the ministry started penalising vendors that do this.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

It will be like the helmet laws, they will get a 200baht fine and an exemption certificate for the rest of the day.

And like the helmet law, the cops will pocket the money and anyway what is a 200 baht fine...imposed once a year?

Pah!! it's a joke....but I may take longer washing stuff in future.

Edited February 25, 2014 by AllanB

[ginjag]

So what the heck are we supposed to eat? Soak it, boil it, wash it, peel it to start, I guess. Is there a home test kit for this (these) substance(s)? That would be helpful... Back to boiling...sure, that removes a lot of the nutrients, but would a quick boil, a blanch, remove a lot of the poisons?

Boiling--you lose hell of a lot of nutrients, pressure cook--steam--I rarely roast/ boil. Wash all eatables in salted water or soak in salted water.

As suggested grow your own, little land will be enough--peppers-tomatoes-cucumbers-lettuce-cabbage-limes-coconut-mango-herbs- you can buy miniature fruit trees. try potatoes experiment with some old ones that have started to sprout, carrots the list goes on.

Don't say you haven't the time, cut down on beer time, ... If you use your freezer box as many products are ready at the same time, especially if you blanch.

Doesn't take much room if you keep a few chickens in a chicken house and run. NOT running and SH###ing all over the place. feed well--happy hens lay more eggs--and cull at the end of their best lay period and re buy. Get rid of your left overs at the same time.

Difficult if your in a condo.

Edited February 25, 2014 by ginjag