Harshvardhan Gupta

University of Waterloo | Delhi Technological University

[Roflindian @Roflindian]

The EU has found cancer-causing chemicals in 527 Indian products reaching their borders.

Last night, after an hour or two of Internet search, I believe I succeeded in finding out the likely source of that list, and what I saw is really worrying. I will share all my findings in this post, and also share the links so that you may explore the lists and check the data for yourself. Bit of a long post, though I’ll try to keep it concise.

Just last week too, Hong Kong and Singapore had banned some varieties of MDH and Everest masalas because they contained ethylene oxide, a proven cancer causing agent, above permissible levels.

EU, HK and Singapore have either banned the products or returned the consignments from their borders. But the more important question here is: as primary consumers of the produce, that too in bulk, are we being taken for a ride? What’s the quantum of health risk to us, and are our regulatory bodies any good?

The EU’s decision was based on recommendations from the European Food Safety Agency that relies on the findings of an intra-authority information network that operates across national borders - the European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF).

The RASFF data can be accessed from a site called the RASFF window (see screenshot). I have included the link at the end of this post. I searched the RASFF database with two keywords - ethylene oxide and India. The results can be downloaded in either csv or xls format (see screenshot).

Findings - Hazardous levels of ethylene oxide were found in every conceivable food product : spices, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, chia seeds, cinnamon, pepper, fennel, cardamom and many other food varieties.

Ethylene oxide was also found in many health supplements, so called immune boosters and herbal medicines and all these products were either withheld or returned from the EU’s borders.

Searching products originating from India, I found that there were 1094 RSAFF notifications from 17th May 2019 to 26th April 2024 and these red flags included aflatoxin, pesticide residues, mycotoxins, nitrofurans, Salmonella, chlorpyriphos, anthraquinone, cadmium, mineral oil, mercury and multiple other hazardous contaminants with potentially serious health risks.

My worry - we all consume these food articles on a daily basis, and I won’t be surprised if we are unwittingly getting exposed to large doses of hazardous or cancer causing agents. I can only hope that FSSAI or other food safety regulators in India are doing their job.

Explore the RASFF window yourselves. It never harms to stay informed.

The link is here below.
https://t.co/IXMnG7fQNX

[Harshvardhan Gupta @Harshvardhan995]

@francis_scarr Messi, no one?

[Harshvardhan Gupta @Harshvardhan995]

@BipedalMyles @waitbutwhy Amazing feat. Did you track or experience any muscle loss?

[WeRateDogs @dog_rates]

This is Elsa. She’s still learning how to control her tongue. Her humans like to take advantage of this. 12/10 (IG: elsatherotty)

[Lia Louis @LisforLia]

Can we PLEASE find another way from the 'original utility bill' proof of address stuff because most of us are bloody paperless and it is not 1993

[dharmesh @dharmesh]

Just the initiative I was looking for.

I will match @balajis donation of $50/RT up to $100k to help India fight the COVID tragedy.

Thank you. 🙏

[McLaren Stanley @StanTwinB]

Alright folks, gather round and let me tell you the story of (almost) the biggest engineering disaster I’ve ever had the misfortune of being involved in. It’s a tale of politics, architecture and the sunk cost fallacy [I’m drinking an Aberlour Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch]

[Andrew Cotter @MrAndrewCotter]

Still having the company meetings online.

[Guy Leech @guyrleech]

I took my 8-year-old to the office on Take Your Child to Work Day. As we were walking around, she starting crying & getting very cranky, so I asked her what was wrong. As my coworkers gathered round, she sobbed, 'Daddy, where are all the clowns that you said you worked with?' 🤣

[Giles Paley-Phillips @eliistender10]

Maybe the greatest airport reunion ever

[Michael Kugelman @MichaelKugelman]

There were many big stories in South Asia in 2019, but India's hard turn away from its democratic traditions is the biggest-and given that this is India, the most consequential globally.
After the BJP's reelection, the gloves came off in a big way.
Troubling trendlines for 2020.

[Sandy Serena @sandyserena___]

I’ve never related to a meme more in my life #gradschool

[Nick Finck @nickf]

How to piss off every designer ever.
https://t.co/fZzH4HO3jw

[James @vastidity]

Really feeling attacked here😣

[Grzegorz Kossakowski @gkossakowski]

None of it I could have predicted 10 years ago. Life can come at you pretty fast when you overfit education on current job/technology trends. 7/n

[julien bouissou @jubouissou]

Breaking : French authorities waived taxes worth 143,7 million euros for Anil Ambani's French-based company just a few months after PM Modi announced his plans to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from Dassault. Our story with @annemichel_LM
https://t.co/Tpw50cJg0c

[Bill the Lizard @lizardbill]

seen

[Jade Abbott @alienelf]

My first tattoo will probably be:

tar -xvzf file.tar.gz

Then I'll never need to look it up again