Warning sounded on moldy sugar cane
By Cai Wenjun and Xu Chi |
March 6, 2012, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
HEALTH authorities are warning locals to be careful when purchasing sugar cane, as eating moldy cane may lead to serious poisoning that can be fatal.
Sugar cane sales were temporarily banned in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, this month as cases of people suffering severe illness after eating moldy cane were widely reported online, sparking some panic.
Local food and drug officials said sugar cane would not be banned from sales in Shanghai, but they warned residents to be careful not to purchase the product if it's moldy.
In Shenyang, food-safety officials said moldy sugar cane poisoning has occurred in China for about 30 years. The period between February and April is peak season for such poisoning in northern China, the reason for the new ban.
Children are most likely to suffer from poisoning after eating moldy sugar cane, the officials warned. In 2004, five people in Hebei Province suffered food poisoning after eating sugar cane, including a 10-year-old boy who died, said a notice issued by the Ministry of Health.
Symptoms in 2 to 8 hours
According to the notice, moldy sugar cane contains a toxin that attacks the central nervous system. People usually start to show symptoms of poisoning two to eight hours after eating the moldy cane. The primary symptoms include vomiting, nausea, headache and vision obstruction.
Then patients can develop incontinence and convulsions, and those with more serious poisoning can suffer respiratory failure, lapse into a coma or die, the notice warned. There is no special therapy for the poisoning, the notice said.
Health authorities advised residents to observe sugar cane carefully before purchasing it. Normal sugar cane should have smooth and shiny skin and should not have hair-like substances on its ends.
Sugar cane that is dark, has white hair-like substances on its cover or has brown, yellow, or gray color inside should not be eaten, as it might be moldy, officials warned.
Moldy sugar cane caused an online stir after one person pleaded for help on a microblog, saying that two of his relatives were hospitalized after eating sugar cane purchased from street vendors.
The netizen said in the post that one of the two patients was in a vegetative state. The post has been retweeted about 2,000 times on Weibo.com.
Sugar cane sales were temporarily banned in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, this month as cases of people suffering severe illness after eating moldy cane were widely reported online, sparking some panic.
Local food and drug officials said sugar cane would not be banned from sales in Shanghai, but they warned residents to be careful not to purchase the product if it's moldy.
In Shenyang, food-safety officials said moldy sugar cane poisoning has occurred in China for about 30 years. The period between February and April is peak season for such poisoning in northern China, the reason for the new ban.
Children are most likely to suffer from poisoning after eating moldy sugar cane, the officials warned. In 2004, five people in Hebei Province suffered food poisoning after eating sugar cane, including a 10-year-old boy who died, said a notice issued by the Ministry of Health.
Symptoms in 2 to 8 hours
According to the notice, moldy sugar cane contains a toxin that attacks the central nervous system. People usually start to show symptoms of poisoning two to eight hours after eating the moldy cane. The primary symptoms include vomiting, nausea, headache and vision obstruction.
Then patients can develop incontinence and convulsions, and those with more serious poisoning can suffer respiratory failure, lapse into a coma or die, the notice warned. There is no special therapy for the poisoning, the notice said.
Health authorities advised residents to observe sugar cane carefully before purchasing it. Normal sugar cane should have smooth and shiny skin and should not have hair-like substances on its ends.
Sugar cane that is dark, has white hair-like substances on its cover or has brown, yellow, or gray color inside should not be eaten, as it might be moldy, officials warned.
Moldy sugar cane caused an online stir after one person pleaded for help on a microblog, saying that two of his relatives were hospitalized after eating sugar cane purchased from street vendors.
The netizen said in the post that one of the two patients was in a vegetative state. The post has been retweeted about 2,000 times on Weibo.com.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
