Causes for concern

WARNING IS NOT ENOUGH – Health authorities say that the banned drugs peddled in the sidewalks of Chinatown district in Davao City can be dangerous for humans. Now the local agency of the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) is investigating and has warned the consuming public anew on the proliferation of the banned drugs. The FDA, the lead agency tasked to regulate and monitor food and drug products says these are the same stuffs that were target of previous confiscation. Aside from seizure, FDA people even have the temerity to rattle certain arrests. Is that so, gentlemen? Whose legs are you pulling down this time?
The serious problem is coming to a head. Here comes the FDA statement, which began with identifying the banned drugs being illegally sold were those promising to enhance sexual potency and promote weight loss. The FDA found that the banned commodities, most of which are imported from China, although surprisingly they obviously don’t want to mention its origin contained high level of mercury. Medical experts and the FDA have declared the allowable presence of mercury should exceed one part per million, but the banned drugs contained 1,000 ppm and this is considered at a very dangerous level – a health hazard.
Again, as we’ve mentioned earlier the FDA obviously did not identify the origin of the banned drugs except to give clues that they could have been sneaked into the city using either the cities of Zamboanga and General Santos as the port of entries. Goodness gracious! Is there something to hide, gentlemen? The banned drugs are becoming a serious health problem and its victims patronize the illegal products unknowing of the negative effects. So what’s really behind the proliferation of these unregulated drugs and the sidewalk peddlers conducting their trade with impunity, and worst, right under the very noses of law enforcement units and concerned government agencies? Holy cow!
The mercury-laced drugs are “high-tech” miracle that would promote weight loss and promised to enhance sexual potency. However, medical experts and clinicians found that patients who used the products are more than 30 times as likely to develop skin infections or colon cancer and other cancer-related diseases. These infections even when treated with antibiotics are lethal in some 10 percent of cases. Some studies advised that all prospective users should consult experts for recommendations such as the proper application and use of prescribe drugs.
Unrecognized, chemically-laced drugs especially those with high mercury content attack slowly and furtively. Initially, it produces subtle symptoms so a person being affected is often unaware that anything is wrong. Slowly but gradually, it damaged the skin, body tissues, clog blood vessels and injure the internal organs. Health authorities and medical practitioners acknowledge that there are causes for concern. If taken in large quantity, banned drugs could even result in instant death. Unaware consumers are really helpless, which can be devastating.
Now back to the previous question: what prompted the FDA people not to identify the origin of the banned drugs that proliferated in the city’s sidewalks? Is it being done on purpose and for what reason? Above all, it’s just a matter of investigating the crucial issue and immediately right after, the FDA will soon realize that most, if not all of the banned drugs are imported from China. Say what they will but many Chinese products notably cosmetics, beauty treatment items, slimming drinks and foodstuffs have no required labeling such as if they contain known toxins, allergins or an entirely new substance. It’s a sort of puzzle and some worried consumer groups are trying to know how these banned drugs gained entry into our seaports and airports and other point of entries.
The word inefficiency, of course, is the catch. When it comes to performance of their designated tasks, we have a concerned government agency and law enforcement pockmarked with inefficiency. The result of all that inefficiency – layers of increased fear that is passed on to wary consumers and end-users that face the real danger – health problems. The saddest part is that those certain arrests of violators and the much-hyped crackdown against unscrupulous sidewalk peddlers and ambulant vendors reported in media are nothing but just an image enhancement strategy. They’re good at it.