Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) has organized recently a lecture on the presence of heavy metals in vegetables and its impacts on human health at the Bin Tannaf Al Menhali Majlis located in Bani Yas.

Shaheen Ali Ahmed, Manager, Food Legislation Section at ADFCA delivered the lecture in the program which was attended by heads and representatives of many local families in Bani Yas.

The lecture focused on the basic features of the heavy metals and how the food get contaminated with them in addition to the health impacts these metals leave on human body.

According to Shaheen, heavy metals such as Lead, Cadmium and Mercury are harmful to human body almost the same level pesticides do.

"These metals come out from big chemical industries in the form of toxic wastes and pollute the water resources such as rivers and lakes. And in many agricultural countries, these toxics reaches to vegetables through irrigating with the polluted water" Mr. Shaheen said.

He said vegetables can also be contaminated with Lead through automobile exhausts and other related wastes.

He also pointed that ADFCA has been constantly striving to check the negative impacts heavy metals leave on vegetables and thus on human body.

"ADFCA's control activities has had a great role in reducing these type of contamination and there have been several legislations in force to check the phenomenon in Abu Dhabi emirate as the result of ADFCA's continuous efforts" he said.

Participants interacted with the lecturer during the open session that followed the presentation. During the interaction, a number of good practices were suggested to make the food safe from heavy metals. They include, staying away from street vendors, buying vegetables only from approved outlets, washing vegetables in proper way before use and avoiding vegetables with decay and damages.

It is noted that, being part of efforts to disseminate food safety awareness among various sections of the society, ADFCA has been keen to organize lectures and workshops utilizing the local events and occasions across Abu Dhabi emirate.