LAHORE, Feb 6: The Punjab Food Department's decision to use polypropylene bags for storing and transporting wheat has irked cotton and jute bag makers who claim that these indestructible plastic bags pose serious threat to human health and the environment.

Quoting various studies, including the one conducted by the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), they say polypropylene bags for sacking and packing of cereals, food products and wheat meant disregarding all health, safety and protective measures.

"Due to non-biodegradability of the materials used for these bags, anything stored in them may get contaminated and become unfit for human consumption," a miller claimed on Friday.

He said the PCSIR had opposed the use of polypropylene bags for wheat storage because when these bags break a chemical called Lena, hazardous for human health, got mixed up with wheat. "This makes the product stored in the plastic bags unfit and dangerous for human health," he added.

Moreover, it is said, plastic bags disintegrate into powder when exposed to sun. "This powder mixes with the grain and is later ground into flour. The powder contains such elements as lead, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel and zinc and has the potential to cause cancer," the miller said.

He said the studies had confirmed that plastic bags were susceptible to heat and light that causes degradation in the material. "These bags do not contain any suitable light inhibitor or anti-UV material and fail to perform primary purpose of controlling the quality of wheat and preventing its deterioration during storage. It is beside the point that they are costlier and have limited use than low-cost jute or cotton bags which are more suitable and safe for human health," he said.

Jute and cotton bags, which are traditionally used for wheat storage, absorb moisture that dissipates into the environment. "In case of plastic bags, it gets trapped inside the bags. Since the process of respiration continues, wheat becomes mildewed and is attacked by fungus, causing the product to become unfit for human consumption," he said.

"The ecosystem also suffers because of the use of plastic bags. Plastic, being chemically stable, cannot be disposed of in garbage land-fills as it does not decompose for many years and severely affects the fertility of land. Plastic bags are often dumped in fields, burnt or thrown into open garbage dumps, causing severe environmental hazards," the miller said.

He said if the Punjab government did not revoke the decision to use plastic bags for wheat storage, it would be a disaster for consumers, environment as well as the jute and cotton bag producing industry. The industry employs over 20,000 people and contributes over Rs1 billion to the national exchequer.