DIMAPUR, JANUARY 12 (MExN): Dimapur Police have arrested three persons in connection with selling of sub standard mosquito coil called ‘Godzilla’ which is manufactured and imported from Burma without the approval of the Central Insecticide Board.
The three persons arrested in the case were identified by the Dimapur Police as Ashok Kumar, presently a resident of NL Road Dimapur; Suresh Kumar, presently a resident of Marwaripatti Dimapur; and Rupesh Kumar, presently a resident of Thakurbari. A case has been registered at East Police Station, Dimapur for further investigation.
The arrests were made after personnel of Dimapur Police along with AET Zone-I Dimapur conducted a raid on January 11 at around 4:00pm in Hazi Park.
A press note from the PRO, Dimapur Police informed that 120 cartons containing 80 packets of the mosquito coil per cartoon was seized from three godowns located at Hazi Park and Kalibari Road Dimapur for not possessing any documents from the competent authority.
Dimapur Police informed that according to experts the most common active ingredients in the coil are various dyrehriods, such as allethrin, d-allethein, dynamin forte and ETOC. “Octachlorodipropylether is sometimes used as a synergistor active ingredient and as such use of such coils exposes humans to the level of bischloromethyl ether, which is an extremely potent lung carcinogen,” the police press note added.
It further stated that some imported mosquito coils contain this chemical and is banned in many countries. Other compounds, released during the burning of mosquito coil—aldehydes, formaldehydes, fine and ultrafine particles benzene benzo (a) pyrene, benzo (b) fluoranthene are also classified as probable human carcinogens, police added.
“Some of these chemicals are said to be partly insecticides which is also found in the Godzilla mosquito coil. The main chemical called menerfluthrin, a toxic chemical is used in Godzilla mosquito coil which is very harmful to humans in a major cause for lung cancer according to experts,” it was informed.
The press note said that burning of one mosquito coil would release the same amount of particulate matter as burning 75-137 cigarettes; the emission of formaldehyde from burning one coil can be as high as that released from burning 51 cigarettes.
Dimapur Police informed that authorized products are to be imported by those having an import export license and the product should carry a batch number and expiry date. However, it cautioned that many products from Myanmar are unregistered and unsafe for human beings.
