Citrashine can trigger serious
allergy symptoms. Do you suspect that allergies are triggering your asthma
symptoms or those of others at Christmas time? Perhaps you have not been able
to track down the actual cause of your asthma attacks. You might want to investigate
the relationship between citrashine and asthma symptoms.
Citrashine can trigger sudden,
unexpected asthma symptoms or asthmatic attacks at any time of the year,
particularly during the holiday season when boxes of tangelos, oranges and
other citrus fruit are in every grocery store.
What is citrashine?
Citrashine is
a chemical-based fungicide sprayed on fruits and vegetables.
The article entitled
“Relationship between mode of application of Thiabendazone and its effectiveness for control of
green mold and inhibiting fungus sporulation on oranges” suggests that this
chemical has less potency, when wax is included in its usage.
Where does one find citrashine
other than sprayed on oranges?
Green peppers, apples and turnips have a waxy covering that prevents the growth of fungus. This
is likely to be citrashine with wax.
What kinds of symptoms does
citrashine trigger?
Contact with citrashine can
lead to severe symptoms of asthma that include inflammation, redness and
swelling of the air passages due to over-sensitivity to the chemical. Sudden
obstruction of the air passages makes it difficult to breathe. Asthmatic
attacks can happen suddenly and be a frightening scenario.
When a suspected
citrashine-related asthma attack occurs, it is important not to panic. Bouts of
choking and coughing with difficulty breathing may occur. Be aware that this
can present a serious, life-threatening situation. Obtaining appropriate
emergency medical treatment immediately is vital.
A qualified physician may be able
to confirm the fact that citrashine has triggered an asthmatic episode or
repeated asthmatic attacks, over time.
How can one safely consume
fruits and vegetables sprayed with citrashine?
When one is aware of
sensitivity to citrashine, it is important to avoid consuming fruit or
vegetables sprayed with this fungicide, if possible.
When it is not possible to
eliminate everything sprayed with citrashine from one’s diet, peeling and
washing fruits and vegetables carefully, before eating them may prove
beneficial.
There is less likelihood of
contact with the chemical citrashine possibly triggering an asthma attack, if
one consumes boiled, canned or frozen fruit and vegetables.
Note that in any grocery store,
there may be other produce also sprayed with citrashine.
This includes leafy, green
vegetables like lettuce. Wash all vegetables with water and if possible avoid
consuming the outer leaves. With respect to green peppers, wash them well,
although you will not be able to remove the wax coating on them. Turnips are
usually peeled and cooked. When eaten raw, the pieces should be washed with
water first.
Peel apples and rinse them
again in water, before eating them. If your sensitivity level to the citrashine
is relatively high, cooking them first may prove preferable. With respect to
oranges or other citrus products, wash and peel them and rinse the
sections carefully again, before consuming the sections of oranges, as there
still may be traces of citrashine on the fruit after peeling it. Wash grapes
well before eating them as they may have been sprayed with citrashine.
Your local Poison Control
Centre will be able to confirm the seriousness of asthma symptoms triggered by
citrashine. It is possible to submit samples like orange peels for analysis by
them, when citrashine is the suspected trigger of repeated asthma attacks.
Caution with respect to the
consumption of all citrus food and any other food sprayed with citrashine is
important during the holiday season. Documenting incidences of symptoms
possibly triggered by an allergic reaction to citrashine is a good
idea, as well.
Your health, as well as that of
others, is important! Prevention through cautionary measures may save someone’s
life, including yours.
No comments:
Post a Comment