Experts say traders now lace popular cowhide with embalming fluid
BY TESSY IGOMU Are you in
the habit of stocking your pot or piling your plate with fat, fleshy
cowhide known in local parlance as ponmo? Then, you might be in for a
shocker.
Recently, health officials in Sapele, Delta State, apprehended some
ponmo sellers for injecting chemicals used in the embalmment of corpses
into the hide to make it look attractive to buyers.
According to the report, the traders who confessed to the dastardly act disclosed that after injecting the substance, they would then soak the cowhide in water, so that it can become bloated and fleshy.
Though the particular type of embalming fluid used was not disclosed, experts have disclosed that ingesting any substance used for embalming corpses has grave consequences.
In the past, ponmo was the ‘meat’ of the poor. Not anymore. Of late, due to the rising cost of beef in the market, most Nigerians have embraced ponmo as an alternative, even as it has become a delight in most homes. With Nigerians displaying their ingenuity and versatility in converting the cowhide into delicacies, appetite for it has continued to increase daily.
Ponmo is derived from cowhide after it has been tenderized in hot water and the hair removed with razor blade. It can also be processed by burning the hide with fire fuelled mostly by disused tyres and plastic.
Everywhere you go in the country, ponmo has become a staple food for consumption. Aside, from housewives that have embraced the delicacy, it has also become a very lucrative business for people who have found a way to rake in extra cash by preparing it for commercial consumption. They do this by cooking and having it well garnished with pepper and onion, and hawking it on streets, markets and bus stops as ponmo alata.
In the eastern part of the country, the love for ponmo that still has little beef attached to it is really relished and it doesn’t come cheap either. The belief in some quarters that cowhide has no nutritional value, has not in any way decreased the growing demand or affected its skyrocketing price.
However, the danger in eating anything that has been laced with embalming fluid, according to Abolanle Kayode, a biochemist at the department of Chemical Sciences, Bells University of Technology, Otta, is very grave.
He disclosed that though there are many types of embalming fluid, formalin, which is the most common one, poses health hazard when it comes in contact with food. He disclosed that consumption of food contaminated with formalin can cause abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, unconsciousness, or even death.
Highlighting the composition of the chemical, he said, “Formalin is a commercial source of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde (HCHO) was discovered in 1856 by the British chemist, August Wilheld Von Hofmann. It is a noxious, flammable gas, extremely soluble in water. It is colourless at ordinary temperature and has an irritating pungent odour. It is commercially available as formalin containing 37 per cent by weight or 40 per cent by volume of formaldehyde gas in water. Formalin contains an average 7 per cent of methyl alcohol, 37 per cent formaldehyde and the remaining is water. It rapidly metabolizes to formic acid.
Formaldehyde’s effect on pregnancy and the reproductive system, he noted, has been studied in both humans and in laboratory animals. He disclosed that the chemical has been shown to decrease fertility and increase the risk of spontaneous abortions in humans. “In laboratory animals, formaldehyde can harm the developing fetus and damage sperm”, he warned.
Embalming of corpses, the biochemist explained, involves disinfection and preservation of dead bodies using chemical substances which include formalin, among others, adding that the embalming fluid consists of a group of chemicals that include preservatives, germicides, buffers, wetting agents, anticoagulants, dyes and perfuming agents, among others in various proportions to produce the embalming fluid.
He disclosed that Formaldehyde is the commonest preservative used for embalming, noting that anatomists, technicians in histology and embalming laboratories, as well as medical students during their dissection courses, are all exposed to formaldehyde, which in many situations, crosses the threshold for irritation of eyes and upper respiratory tract.”
The biochemist warned that formaldehyde can cause allergic reactions of the skin and the lungs (asthma). Formaldehyde, he also warned, is also a known cause of cancer in humans.
“The eyes, nose, and throat are irritated by formaldehyde vapors. This exposure can cause red-teary burning eyes, sneezing, coughing and sore throat. Liquid formaldehyde solutions contacting the eyes can damage the cornea, possibly causing blindness.
“At higher concentration, it can severely irritate the lungs, causing chest pain and shortness of breath. Repeated exposure to formaldehyde can cause allergic asthma. Formaldehyde solutions can destroy the skin’s natural protective oils, causing dryness, flaking, cracking, and dermatitis (skin rash). Skin contact can also cause an allergic reaction like redness, itching, hives and blisters. As many as one in 20 workers who are regularly exposed to formaldehyde develop an allergic skin reaction. Formaldehyde exposure can cause cancer of the nose and sinuses in humans, as well as some types of leukaemia and lymphoma.”
According to pharmacist, Mr. Damian Izuka, if actually such act was carried out, it is quite condemnable, adding that many Nigerians hardly care and would do anything to achieve instant wealth, even if such act ends up reducing the population.
He noted that nature is so good that right from time, humans are able to know what is palatable and have naturally avoided the toxic ones.
“My wife doesn’t eat mushroom”, he disclosed. Explaining her reason for avoiding what he described as one of the delicacies relished by most people, he said: “Her fear stems from the danger of eating the wrong or poisonous one. When you see a human being taking something that is not edible and giving others, you just can’t quantify the magnitude of confusion that can create. If you make tea and decide to add salt or make soup and add sugar, you don’t need to be told what it would taste like.”
The pharmacist however, stressed that if for any reason people indulge in the act of lacing any food with chemical to make it look appealing, despite the dangers, “that person must be made to face the consequences.”
For Funke Odusanya, a housewife, embalming fluid or not, cow hide would always grace her cooking pot. “Such things can’t kill a poor person. That is what I have been using as a supplement to meat and fish for my family because it is cheaper. For me, it would always be ponmo,” she declared.
Ini Umoh, a restaurant operator in Ajao Estate, said she is not aware of such practice, as she has a credible person that supplies her ponmo. She noted that most customers can’t eat without adding the delicacy to their regular meal.
“Even if you tell them that it is dangerous to eat ponmo, they would just laugh at you. Most people can’t afford meat. Moreover, without ponmo in my afang and other vegetable soups, it is bad market,” she laughed.
According to the report, the traders who confessed to the dastardly act disclosed that after injecting the substance, they would then soak the cowhide in water, so that it can become bloated and fleshy.
Though the particular type of embalming fluid used was not disclosed, experts have disclosed that ingesting any substance used for embalming corpses has grave consequences.
In the past, ponmo was the ‘meat’ of the poor. Not anymore. Of late, due to the rising cost of beef in the market, most Nigerians have embraced ponmo as an alternative, even as it has become a delight in most homes. With Nigerians displaying their ingenuity and versatility in converting the cowhide into delicacies, appetite for it has continued to increase daily.
Ponmo is derived from cowhide after it has been tenderized in hot water and the hair removed with razor blade. It can also be processed by burning the hide with fire fuelled mostly by disused tyres and plastic.
Everywhere you go in the country, ponmo has become a staple food for consumption. Aside, from housewives that have embraced the delicacy, it has also become a very lucrative business for people who have found a way to rake in extra cash by preparing it for commercial consumption. They do this by cooking and having it well garnished with pepper and onion, and hawking it on streets, markets and bus stops as ponmo alata.
In the eastern part of the country, the love for ponmo that still has little beef attached to it is really relished and it doesn’t come cheap either. The belief in some quarters that cowhide has no nutritional value, has not in any way decreased the growing demand or affected its skyrocketing price.
However, the danger in eating anything that has been laced with embalming fluid, according to Abolanle Kayode, a biochemist at the department of Chemical Sciences, Bells University of Technology, Otta, is very grave.
He disclosed that though there are many types of embalming fluid, formalin, which is the most common one, poses health hazard when it comes in contact with food. He disclosed that consumption of food contaminated with formalin can cause abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, unconsciousness, or even death.
Highlighting the composition of the chemical, he said, “Formalin is a commercial source of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde (HCHO) was discovered in 1856 by the British chemist, August Wilheld Von Hofmann. It is a noxious, flammable gas, extremely soluble in water. It is colourless at ordinary temperature and has an irritating pungent odour. It is commercially available as formalin containing 37 per cent by weight or 40 per cent by volume of formaldehyde gas in water. Formalin contains an average 7 per cent of methyl alcohol, 37 per cent formaldehyde and the remaining is water. It rapidly metabolizes to formic acid.
Formaldehyde’s effect on pregnancy and the reproductive system, he noted, has been studied in both humans and in laboratory animals. He disclosed that the chemical has been shown to decrease fertility and increase the risk of spontaneous abortions in humans. “In laboratory animals, formaldehyde can harm the developing fetus and damage sperm”, he warned.
Embalming of corpses, the biochemist explained, involves disinfection and preservation of dead bodies using chemical substances which include formalin, among others, adding that the embalming fluid consists of a group of chemicals that include preservatives, germicides, buffers, wetting agents, anticoagulants, dyes and perfuming agents, among others in various proportions to produce the embalming fluid.
He disclosed that Formaldehyde is the commonest preservative used for embalming, noting that anatomists, technicians in histology and embalming laboratories, as well as medical students during their dissection courses, are all exposed to formaldehyde, which in many situations, crosses the threshold for irritation of eyes and upper respiratory tract.”
The biochemist warned that formaldehyde can cause allergic reactions of the skin and the lungs (asthma). Formaldehyde, he also warned, is also a known cause of cancer in humans.
“The eyes, nose, and throat are irritated by formaldehyde vapors. This exposure can cause red-teary burning eyes, sneezing, coughing and sore throat. Liquid formaldehyde solutions contacting the eyes can damage the cornea, possibly causing blindness.
“At higher concentration, it can severely irritate the lungs, causing chest pain and shortness of breath. Repeated exposure to formaldehyde can cause allergic asthma. Formaldehyde solutions can destroy the skin’s natural protective oils, causing dryness, flaking, cracking, and dermatitis (skin rash). Skin contact can also cause an allergic reaction like redness, itching, hives and blisters. As many as one in 20 workers who are regularly exposed to formaldehyde develop an allergic skin reaction. Formaldehyde exposure can cause cancer of the nose and sinuses in humans, as well as some types of leukaemia and lymphoma.”
According to pharmacist, Mr. Damian Izuka, if actually such act was carried out, it is quite condemnable, adding that many Nigerians hardly care and would do anything to achieve instant wealth, even if such act ends up reducing the population.
He noted that nature is so good that right from time, humans are able to know what is palatable and have naturally avoided the toxic ones.
“My wife doesn’t eat mushroom”, he disclosed. Explaining her reason for avoiding what he described as one of the delicacies relished by most people, he said: “Her fear stems from the danger of eating the wrong or poisonous one. When you see a human being taking something that is not edible and giving others, you just can’t quantify the magnitude of confusion that can create. If you make tea and decide to add salt or make soup and add sugar, you don’t need to be told what it would taste like.”
The pharmacist however, stressed that if for any reason people indulge in the act of lacing any food with chemical to make it look appealing, despite the dangers, “that person must be made to face the consequences.”
For Funke Odusanya, a housewife, embalming fluid or not, cow hide would always grace her cooking pot. “Such things can’t kill a poor person. That is what I have been using as a supplement to meat and fish for my family because it is cheaper. For me, it would always be ponmo,” she declared.
Ini Umoh, a restaurant operator in Ajao Estate, said she is not aware of such practice, as she has a credible person that supplies her ponmo. She noted that most customers can’t eat without adding the delicacy to their regular meal.
“Even if you tell them that it is dangerous to eat ponmo, they would just laugh at you. Most people can’t afford meat. Moreover, without ponmo in my afang and other vegetable soups, it is bad market,” she laughed.
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