Struggling hard to recover from high incidence of cancer, the Punjab Government is leaving nothing to chance. Acting swiftly, the Government on Thursday prescribed tests for finding whether the bread supplied to its people was carcinogen.
Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Surjit Kumar Jayani has issued instructions to collect samples to test whether the bread, manufactured and sold in this part of the region, carries cancer-causing ingredients.
The samples for tests will be collected from across the State, a health department’s senior official told The Pioneer. The decision was taken in a high level meeting, chaired by Jayani.
The official informed that the samples will be collected at the earliest and then sent to the laboratory for tests, and in case the samples failed, appropriate action will be taken. The Health Minister even hinted at banning the sale of bread in the State, said the official.
A widespread panic spread across the nation following a study, conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), revealed that nearly 84 percent of 38 commonly available brands of pre-packaged breads, including pav and buns, had tested positive for potassium bromate and potassium iodate, that can cause cancer.
The report stated that the bread, the samples of which were tested, contains traces of potassium bromate - a Class 2B carcinogenic meaning that it may cause cancer; and potassium iodate - that can lead to thyroid disorders, increase the incidence of autoimmune thyroiditis and increase the risk of thyroid cancer; or both.
The report added that these chemicals are used in the process of bread making, as potassium bromate helps bread achieve high rising and a uniform finish, potassium iodate is used by bread-makers as flour agent.
In a state where cancer has already spread its tentacles, the recent revelation has sent shock waves. As per the latest report released by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), as many as 33,940 cases of cancer have been recorded in the state from January 2012 to December 31, 2013.
The numbers were gathered from 29 centers across the state including all the cancer registries under National Cancer Registry Programme and other functional registries.
The report indicated that ludhiana district has the highest number of cases at 5,824 while the lowest was recorded in Tarn Taran with 523 cases. Jalandhar and Bhatinda recorded 3,625 and 3,099 cancer cases during the two years.
The All India Bread Manufacturers’ Association has claimed that potassium bromate and potassium iodate were “considered safe”.
The bread manufacturers’ body has agreed to stop using the controversial chemicals as additives. At the same time, it has asked the food safety regulator, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), to verify the findings of CSE report.