Most of the coloured iftar items including the reddish jilapi, the saffron beguni, peaju, potato chop, sweets, biryani and white muri (puffed rice) pose serious health hazards to the consumers as textile dyes, carbide, ethopene and urea are being used to make them look more attractive to the customers, said sources in the Institute of Public Health. Mangoes, pineapples, papayas and bananas are being artificially ripened by using a carcinogenic (cancer inducing) chemical called ethylene oxide. Another chemical called calcium carbide is being used to ripen bananas. A toxic artificial dye is also used to give fruits and vegetables a rich colour. Brick dust is mixed with chilli powder and a poisonous yellow colorant is mixed with turmeric powder to make it more yellow; water and salt are also mixed with these spices to increase the weight. Cyanide, a poison, is used to give mustard oil extra bite. Cooking oil that is commonly used to deep-fry many food items should only be used once, but many food vendors and restaurants recycle the burnt oil. Once the oil is used for cooking, it becomes oxidised. The more the oil is used, the more pre-oxide is formed in it, which is really harmful for the body. The oil gets more poisonous with continued use. According to IPH, more than 60 per cent of the food samples they have tested are poisonous and adulterated. Professor Motiur Rahman of the LabAid Cardiac Hospital told New Age that the children would be the worst sufferers of the different chemicals and textile dyes used to colour iftar items.