A medical doctor with the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Gbenga Adebusoye, has warned that abuse of paracetamol in general and in tenderising meat in particular, could lead to liver and kidney failures.
Dr Adebusoye gave the warning in a telephone interview with NAN on Thursday.
He said drugs were chemicals and should not be taken lightly and when abused, they could be toxic to the human system and could endanger lives.
According to him, the abuse of paracetamol leads to rapid damage of the liver, which can cause acute liver injury that could result in liver failure that can not be managed except by a liver transplant.
The medical expert said that paracetamol should not be used to tenderise meat and for any other purpose, asides its clinical use and the specified dosage as its abuse was highly detrimental to health.
He said that drugs were usually meant to be stored in places with cool temperatures not above 25 degrees Celsius.
He said if drugs were not properly stored and left in places with high temperature, the act could damage the content of the drugs, making it less potent.
And with the possibility of chemical reactions that could be dangerous and harmful, turning the drug from a useful substance to a harmful one, he said.
Dr Adebusoye, therefore, advised people to desist from the abuse of drugs in general as such act could be very fatal.
NAN reports that some food vendors and caterers in the country have been understood to be using paracetamol tablets to tenderise tough meat.
Others even use table spoons, nails and potassium to cook food.
Some food vendors in Jos denied making use of paracetamol in tenderising their meats, but some admitted to using potassium in tenderising cowhide (Ponmo) and beans.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
