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Copper sulfate sprayed on leeks for fresh look
By Li Qian |
May 9, 2012, Wednesday
|
Online Edition
Online Edition
LEEKS sprayed with copper sulfate, a chemical that can cause kidney failure, were found in Nanjing, capital of eastern Jiangsu Province and the news rekindled people's worries over food safety.
A local resident surnamed Li said she bought leeks from a street vendor on Monday and found her fingers turned blue after picking the leeks. She went back to question the vendor who claimed to be a farmer but found he was gone.
Other dealers in the city's Huiminqiao Vegetable Wholesale Market said some people sprayed copper sulfate to make leeks look fresh, otherwise, tightly packed leeks would rot within a day.
"Copper sulfate is common and cheap. One kilo of leeks needs just a few cents of the chemical to stay fresh," a dealer surnamed Zhu told the local media.
However, excessive intake can cause gastritis, kidney failure and even death, Nanjing Agricultural University researchers told journalists, adding that even repeated wash can't remove the residue.
This is the latest food safety scandal after cabbages in Shandong Province were found sprayed with formaldehyde to keep them fresh.
A local resident surnamed Li said she bought leeks from a street vendor on Monday and found her fingers turned blue after picking the leeks. She went back to question the vendor who claimed to be a farmer but found he was gone.
Other dealers in the city's Huiminqiao Vegetable Wholesale Market said some people sprayed copper sulfate to make leeks look fresh, otherwise, tightly packed leeks would rot within a day.
"Copper sulfate is common and cheap. One kilo of leeks needs just a few cents of the chemical to stay fresh," a dealer surnamed Zhu told the local media.
However, excessive intake can cause gastritis, kidney failure and even death, Nanjing Agricultural University researchers told journalists, adding that even repeated wash can't remove the residue.
This is the latest food safety scandal after cabbages in Shandong Province were found sprayed with formaldehyde to keep them fresh.
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