Triposha supplied to pregnant women and children contains the cancer-causing toxic chemical Aflatoxin, Public Health Officials have confirmed.
“It’s true that Aflatoxin is in it and that’s the reason the Triposha distributed in some districts has to be withdrawn,” M.N.H. Nihal Vice President of the Public Health Inspectors Association told journalists.
Minister for health Keheliya Rambukwelle has rejected the allegation.
Vice President Nihal said there is a kind of toxic content in Triposha. Media releases are being issued that the opinion expressed by the president of the association is not true.
The president of the Public Health Inspectors Association Upul Rohana had alleged that the quantity of Aflatoxin in Triposha was high.
“As per the resolution of our executive council, we would like to convey that this is true,” said the vice president.
According to the US National Cancer Institute portal, www.cancer.gov “Aflatoxins are a family of toxins produced by certain fungi that are found on agricultural crops such as maize (corn), peanuts, cottonseed, and tree nuts”.
The Public Health Inspectors Association VP says they have a responsibility of supplying healthy and contamination-free nutrition. “We were asked by a media as to why Triposha distributed to certain districts were withdrawn. Our association representatives collected samples from that area and tested them. Based on that our president expressed the opinion that Aflatoxin was found in theTriposha and that was said with responsibility and was not a baseless opinion”.
The health minister had rejected the allegation saying that the maize containing Aflatoxin was removed during the Triposha production. However, the ministers claim was rejected by MNH Nihal.
