The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians against the use of Sniper and other brands of “Dichlorvos” (DDVP) for preservation of foodstuffs, stating that such act has health implications that can lead to death.
NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, stressed the health implications of the continuous misuse and misapplication of Sniper and other brands of Dichlorvos by the general public, especially grain merchants, beans aggregators and dried fish sellers.
She observed that the continuous misuse of the dangerous agrochemicals in the preservation of foodstuffs is replete with health implications with symptoms. These, she said, include weakness, headache, tightness in chest, blurred vision, salivation, sweating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, eye and skin irritation, eye pain, runny nose, lack of appetite, dizziness, convulsions, low blood pressure, and possibly death.
The NAFDAC chief added that this necessitated the Agency to put in place some regulatory measures which include the immediate ban on the importation and manufacture of Sniper and all other Dichlorvos in 100ml packsize only which was found to be the product readily available in unauthorized places.
She said the agency had also embarked on massive sensitization workshops in collaboration with relevant stakeholders on safe and responsible use of Crop Protection Products on agricultural commodity storage, conducted for Farmers, Grain merchants and Aggregators in seven locations across the country.
“NAFDAC in collaboration with relevant stakeholders organized two sensitisation workshops for agro-input dealers on safe and responsible use of crop protection products in Kano and Oyo states prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. However, this will be extended to the other parts of the country when the condition is more favorable,” she said.
