Mangoes, treated with harmful chemicals, have flooded markets of three upazilas of Narail due to lack of proper monitoring by the authorities.
The traders are using dangerous chemicals such as calcium carbide, formalin, and toxic food colour, which are extremely harmful to the human body.
Health Department sources said, people who eat chemically ripened mangoes risk being attacked by diseases like diarrhoea, dysentery, acidity, liver infection, and even cancer.
With the beginning of summer season, all the markets of Narail have been flooded with mangoes.
However, majority of the fruits are being ripened using toxic chemicals before they are marketed.
Seeking anonymity, a mango trader at Rupganj Bazar, said he uses formalin on mangoes and other fruits to preserve them for long intervals of time in storage.
Daud, a Mango retailer of Narail city, said the mangoes are sprayed with toxic chemicals, before they are picked from the trees.
Dr Abdus Samad, civil surgeon of Narail, said chemically ripened fruits like mango may cause serious health hazards for the people.
If people keep consuming such chemically ripened fruits for a long time, they will be attacked by different diseases.
Md Jahurul Haque, deputy commissioner of Narail, in a meeting earlier last week pleaded to the mango traders to stop selling fruits ripened by toxic chemicals.
The farmers of the region are producing different varieties of mangoes like Amropoli, Himsagor, Fazli, Gopalbhog, Lengra, Gutimango and other verities at their orchards during the season.
