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    Home > Food News > Nutrition News > "Formaldehyde dishes" in the vegetable market hurt the liver and kidneys and activate cancer cells?

    "Formaldehyde dishes" in the vegetable market hurt the liver and kidneys and activate cancer cells?

    • Last Update: 2021-06-28
    • Source: Internet
    • Author: User
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    Ruan Guangfeng
     

     
    Spring is here, the temperature is gradually warming up, and various vegetables are beginning to be on our table
    .
    As a synonym for healthy food, vegetables are naturally favored by people.
    The dietary guidelines also recommend that we eat a pound of vegetables every day
    .
     
    However, recently there has been a saying "formaldehyde dishes" on the Internet, saying that there are many vegetables in the vegetable market that contain a lot of formaldehyde, such as baby cabbage, Chinese cabbage, enoki mushrooms, and even lotus root, chicken feet, yuba, etc.
    , all have formaldehyde.
    Formaldehyde damages the liver and kidneys and can also cause cancer
    .
     
    Do "formaldehyde dishes" really exist? Is it safe? Can you still eat vegetables happily?
     
    1.
    Does "formaldehyde dish" really exist?
     
    It is said that there is formaldehyde in fresh vegetables such as enoki mushroom and baby cabbage.
    The reason is that some unscrupulous merchants add formaldehyde in order to store baby cabbage and seafood for longer and prevent corruption; and say noodles, vermicelli, yuba, chicken feet, lotus root, etc.
    Flammulina velutipes and other foods contain formaldehyde, which means that some businesses use formaldehyde in order to make them whiter
    .
    In fact, these statements are unfounded
    .

     
    When it comes to formaldehyde, everyone is familiar with it.
    First of all, they think of toxic, harmful, irritating gas, and carcinogenic
    .
    Formaldehyde is an irritating chemical substance, which is often used as a disinfectant and preservative in household products
    .
    It can also be used to make plastic resins that can be used in the wood, paper and textile industries
    .
    Formaldehyde used to be used as a preservative and bleaching agent.
    Common foods that may be used are yuba, vermicelli and water-fat foods (such as cow cypress leaves, chicken feet, etc.
    )
    .
    However, these usages are illegal
    .
    Because formaldehyde is not friendly to our body, we have now banned the use of formaldehyde in food processing
    .
     
    China has long published the "List of Non-edible Substances and Food Additives Easily Abused in Foods That May Be Added Illegal", which includes formaldehyde, and the use of industrial formaldehyde in food processing is expressly prohibited
    .
    Some people may say, what if someone still treats food with formaldehyde? I think the possibility is very small
    .

     
    Now that food technology has progressed, there are many anti-corrosion and bleaching methods, and formaldehyde has a great pungent odor, which is easy to be found, and there is a huge risk in using it
    .
    It is really unnecessary for businesses to use formaldehyde .

     
    Even if formaldehyde is really useful, the residual amount is very low
    .
    Generally speaking, when used in food, a formaldehyde solution with a concentration of about 0.
    1% can achieve the antiseptic effect
    .
    Moreover, formaldehyde is an extremely volatile substance.
    Under normal circumstances, it will volatilize into the air during transportation, storage and cooking, and the residual amount is very low
    .
    Therefore, these "formaldehyde dishes" are not credible, so don't be too scared
    .
     
    2.
    Formaldehyde is naturally present in food!
     
    In fact, formaldehyde is naturally present in the food body
    .
     
    Source: Hong Kong Center for Food Safety
     
    Most living organisms contain a small amount of formaldehyde produced in the process of metabolism
    .
    Formaldehyde is naturally present in most foods, including fruits and vegetables (such as pears, apples, onions), meat, fish (such as nine belly fish, cod), crustaceans and dried fungi, etc.
    The content can reach 300~400 Mg/kg
    .

     
    3.
    How big is the risk of formaldehyde in food?
     
    What everyone is most concerned about is whether formaldehyde is dangerous
    .
    In fact, although formaldehyde is a kind of "carcinogen", the risk of ingesting formaldehyde through food is relatively small.
    You don't need to panic.
    The main hazard of formaldehyde is inhalation
    .

     
    Eating a small amount of formaldehyde will not cause acute poisoning, but eating a large amount of formaldehyde may cause acute poisoning.
    In severe cases, it may cause abdominal pain, vomiting, coma, kidney damage or death
    .
    Reports have shown that the lethal dose of formalin solution is 10-20 ml.
    If calculated at a concentration of 40%, it means drinking 4000-8000 mg of formaldehyde
    .
    Unless you go to see the soaked specimen or take it by mistake, it is difficult for ordinary people to be exposed to such a high concentration of formaldehyde, and eating some vegetables will usually not reach this amount
    .
     
    Of course, we should also pay attention to low-volume long-term chronic risks
    .
    According to a report by the World Health Organization, most people ingest formaldehyde through inhalation
    .
    For example, our new house
    .
    According to ordinary indoor decoration standards, a formaldehyde concentration controlled at 0.
    1 mg/m3 is qualified
    .
    Generally speaking, when the concentration is higher than 0.
    06 mg/m3 (the weight of each cubic meter of air is 1.
    29 kg), we can feel the presence of formaldehyde.
    If too much formaldehyde solution is used on cabbage, it will suddenly It is distinguished by our noses
    .
     
    Does formaldehyde cause cancer? The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified formaldehyde as “can cause cancer (Class 1 carcinogen)” and believes that there is sufficient evidence to prove that this substance can cause nasopharyngeal cancer, and there is strong but insufficient evidence that leukemia is related to It is related to the intake of formaldehyde in the working environment
    .
    However, the World Health Organization believes that formaldehyde ingested through food does not cause cancer, and the main hazard of formaldehyde is inhalation
    .
    Therefore, it is an exaggeration to say that "formaldehyde dishes" damage the liver and kidneys and activate cancer cells
    .
     
     
    4.
    4 tips for safe eating
     
    Formaldehyde is easy to volatilize at high temperatures.
    Generally speaking, formaldehyde will be driven away during transportation, storage and cooking, so there is no need to give up these healthy foods because of panic
    .
    If you are really worried about the food you buy and worry about formaldehyde on it, you need to pay attention to the following points:
     
    (1) Purchase through formal channels
    .
    Try to go to regular supermarkets and markets to buy vegetables, so the chances of buying baby vegetables that are soaked in formaldehyde illegally will be lower
    .

     
    (2) Use running water for cleaning
    .
    You might as well wash it several times with running tap water after you buy it home
    .
    Because formaldehyde is very soluble in water, it can be easily washed away
    .
     
    (3) Cook well
    .
    As the heat generated by cooking helps to remove formaldehyde, food should be cooked thoroughly
    .

     
    (4) Diversified diet
    .
    Try to maintain a balanced diet daily so that you don't have to worry too much about the intake of formaldehyde from food
    .

     
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