Radioactive materials found in foodstuff imported into Nigeria — Expert

A radiation expert, Prof. Ezekiel Agbalagba, has warned that most foodstuffs imported into the country have been found to contain some levels of radioactive materials, a development he said poses severe health risks to consumers.

He urged NAFDAC to have closer radioactivity content monitoring and regulation on imported foodstuffs, noting that staple food products and beverages in the Nigerian market contain some degree of radioactive material and that the level is worrisome, especially in imported foodstuffs.

Agbalagba, a professor of Environmental Radiation, Health, and Nuclear Physics, who delivered the 6th inaugural lecture at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Effurun, Delta State, titled “Radiation Rain, Ruin but Reign – Man in the Ring”, also warned of severe health consequences for Niger Delta communities hosting oil production facilities, due to exposure to high levels of radiation and radioactive rains.

He said, “Radiation burden occasioned by the activities of crude oil exploration and exploitation companies within and around oil facilities in the Niger Delta region is on the red line,” warning that urgent measures need to be taken to avoid near-future radiological health hazards on the field workers and oil-bearing host communities.

He allayed fears about radiation effects from GSM masts, base stations, and GSM phones, saying his research indicated that they might not cause cancer, as the effects have been found to be thermal and physiological, contrary to the cancer effects proposed in some quarters.

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He disclosed that years of research work in oil-producing communities and cities and towns close to such facilities have shown varying levels of radiation that pose health risks.

He said the abuse or misuse of radiation in our environment has caused irreparable damage to many in society, such as cancer, erythema, leukemia, cataracts, skin burns, organ failure, nausea and vomiting, weakness, etc. It would be proper, therefore, to affirm that radiation can ruin.

Agbalagba warned that mineral mining sites were also found to contain radiation far above recommended levels and that radionuclides were found in soil, water, sediments, and sludge in the region with their attendant health risks.

He noted that although intolerable levels of radiation are harmful, mankind cannot make any meaningful development in the present technological era if the use of radiation-aided equipment, materials, and facilities is avoided. He noted that advancement in the medical industry today has resulted in 45% of sickness and disease treatments being driven by radiation and radioactive-laden equipment, and it is projected that by the year 2050, it will be 80% driven.