By Haruna Gimba
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has advised Nigerians against the use of bleaching or ‘whitening’ chemicals because they could result to cancer and kidney malfunction.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Moji Adeyeye, gave the advice in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Abuja.
She said the advice became necessary against the backdrop of the seizure of large quantity of whitening chemicals recently seized by NAFDAC in Lagos.
“There are many people involved in these whitening chemicals, from glutathione injection to the tablets and other such chemicals. Sometimes last week, we got information that there were some people involved in these products at the Trade fair complex in Lagos and our Investigation and Enforcement team moved in and confiscated four trucks of glutathoine.
“We are concerned about glutathoine because it can cause skin cancer as well as kidney disfunction and failure; this is what people do not know. People should stop bleaching their skin; we should be black and proud. NAFDAC is on the spot to ensure that these dangerous products, which come in illegally are seized and destroyed,” she said.
The NAFDAC boss, however, advised Nigerians dealing in genuine foods and chemical products to ensure that their products get tested and registered with the agency for safe consumption.
She called for inter -agency cooperation as well as synergy as effective means of stopping importation of illicit drugs to Nigeria.
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