General News of Wednesday, 20 April 2005

Source: GNA

Food and Drugs Board warns public

Kumasi, April 20, GNA-The Food and Drugs Board (FDB) on Tuesday warned the public, especially residents of Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo regions against the use of a colourless two-layered transparent liquid product called "Sukudai," which is currently on sale in the Kumasi metropolis.

A statement signed by Mr Joseph Y.B. Bennie, Zonal Officer of the Board in-charge of the Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo regions, said the Board had analysed the product and found it to contain only water and chloroform.

The Board said chloroform was a potential carcinogen and had known harmful effects on the human liver and the heart. It said the claim by distributors of the product that it could purify the heart and therefore, very good for cigarette smokers, alcoholic beverage drinkers, people who worked at dust polluted areas and leather producing industries, was therefore, not true, adding that, "Sukudai" was unwholesome for human consumption.

The statement said two persons involved in the sale and distribution of the product had been handed over to the police for further investigations.