Bengaluru, Karnataka: In a shocking finding, the Karnataka Food Safety Department discovered that many hotels in the state were using plastic to prepare food, especially the polythene sheets were used to make idlis, instead of traditional cotton cloths.

The inspection conducted by the authorities has found that many of the samples collected contained carcinogenic elements, a substance capable of causing cancers. Officials collected 251 samples from various hostels, eateries, and restaurants in Bengaluru. Out of which, a total of 51 samples contained harmful carcinogenic elements, which have the potential to cause alarming health complications.

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Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said at least 52 hotels across the state were using polythene sheets to prepare idlis. The minister pointed out when plastic sheets being used for preparing idlis, they release toxic and cancer-causing chemicals. The use of plastics are getting more popular for preparing items like idlis as a cost-cutting method.

The minister reprimanded the eateries, saying that the hoteliers should never have done this because plastic is carcinogenic, underlining that harmful elements can seep into the idli during cooking.

These findings have propelled the government to intensify inspection and take strict action. The government has vowed to take strict action against such practices in the hotel industry.

However, the minister declared that action has already been taken against the violators, denoting that the government would enforce a strict ban on plastic use in food preparation.

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Last year, the Karnataka government banned the food coloring agent, Rhodamine-B, which is widely used in dishes such as Gobi Manchurian and cotton candy. The government had also cracked down on the use of carcinogenic coloring agents in Pani Puri.

A carcinogen is an agent capable of causing cancer. The substance may occur naturally in the environment, such as ultraviolet rays in sunlight and certain viruses, or may be generated by humans, such as automobile exhaust fumes and cigarette smoke, among others. The outcome of the heat in plastic may also produce carcinogens, which might work by interacting with a cell’s DNA to produce mutations. The agent is directly linked to cancer, though factors such as the amount of exposure and individual genetics play a role in cancer development.