People eat fruits to remain healthy. However if the same fruits are ripened by Calcium carbide, the opposite becomes true.

Calcium carbide is an artificial fruit ripening agent. It is normally used to accelerate ripening of fruits like mango, banana, papaya etc.

The artificially ripened fruits show uniform and rich color which fools the buyers into believing that the fruit is of a superior quality and will be tasty.

However, the Calcium Carbide saga does not end at deceiving the customer to pay a bigger price. Fruits treated with Calcium carbide reacts violently when mixed with water and releases acetylene gas that explodes on contact with fire.

Acetylene is a nerve toxin. People who eat fruits ripened with Calcium carbide may suffer from headache, giddiness, memory loss and mental disturbances.

Other symptoms can include vomiting sensation, diarrhea and feeling of weakness.

Instead of helping people stay healthy and keep sickness at bay, Calcium carbide ripened fruits land up the poor victim in dispensary or hospital as a patient and the irony is that the poor person does not even know why.

The following YouTube video shows a papaya ripened with Calcium Carbide and explains the health hazards caused by Calcium Carbide.

The following YouTube video shows what happens when Calcium carbide is mixed with water.

Indian government have taken a serious note of the rampant Calcium carbide fruit ripening practices and are taking appropriate actions by conducting raids and destroying adulterated fruits.