The commission has ordered equipment worth US$120,000 (about 264m/-) that will be installed in their zonal office at the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) building.
The head of TAEC’s Dar es Salaam Zonal Office, Yesaya Sungita said opening of the lab will lead to analyses for all food samples being done in Dar es Salaam instead of Arusha Region where the commission’s headquarters are located.
Sungita disclosed the move recently during the stakeholders’ workshop for the honey sector that was organised by the International Trade Centre (ITC) in Arusha.
He called on importers and exporters to use the facility to protect human and animals from consuming contaminated food that can harm their health.
“Our main focus is just to ensure Tanzanians and other people are not affected by food contaminated with radioactive materials as well as protect them from cancer and other diseases,” he said.
He said radioactive materials can be found in soil, water, and environment where farmers cultivate crops, or in fertilisers and thus exposing consumers to deadly diseases.
Sungita mentioned uranium, caesium-134 and cobalt 60 as some of the ionised radiations that are known to have bad effects on human beings.
He said when a person is exposed to radioactive materials such as gamma rays in the eyes; he or she can get cataracts.
Also radioactive materials if exposed to a person internally or externally can cause sterilization and cancer mutation.
On another note, he also called on mango growers and entrepreneurs producing honey and spices across the country to make analysis for what they intend to export or import.
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