A day after the county executive in charge of health, William Moraa, announced a ban on the use of plastic containers for carrying milk, a local television station linked the ban to measures by the county government to tame increasing cases of cancer.
While announcing the ban Mr. Moraa said that most of the plastic containers are contaminated with hydrogen peroxide and are therefore a health hazard.
However, the county executive did not link the growing cancer cases in the county to consumption of milk contaminated with peroxide. It was shocking for many residents to hear from the t.v station that contaminated milk might be the elusive culprit in the year long search for the cause of high cases of cancer in Meru county.
Meru county is currently leading in the number of new cancer cases recorded annually. At least 15 per cent of all cancer patients referred to Kenyatta National Hospital in 2015 were from Meru county. The disease continues to worry both residents and administrators. The county government has even sponsored research aimed at solving the puzzle revolving around the outbreak.
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But is hydrogen peroxide the real cause? Well many things have been blamed for the disease in Meru, from the contaminated waters of river Kanyuru to the pesticides used by Miraa farmers and the speculations go on.
Hydrogen peroxide is commonly used as a bleaching agent and disinfectant. In its pure form it looks like water and has no smell. It may be fatal if ingested by humans. However it is not known to cause cancer.
The International Agency For Research on Cancer has in fact determined that Hydrogen peroxide is not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans. This means that it does not cause cancer. So why were some journos quick to link hydrogen peroxide to the cancer problem in Meru?
To some extent, their fears are not misplaced. Hydrogen peroxide that has undergone processing to produce cleaning detergents is said to contain chemicals that are carcinogenic. Hence it is very possible that the plastic containers, that are later used to carry milk, do contain agents of cancer.
