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AFUW-ACT
Inc. Meeting Report
Topic: Preventing cyanide poisoning from Cassava in
tropical Africa
HOWARD BRADBURY
Dr Bradbury, a retired academic at ANU, has been researching how to
reduce the level of cyanide in cassava (tapioca). Cassava, a major food
source in the world particularly in Africa, contains significant amounts
of cyanide and if this staple food is to be consumed and not cause damage
to the population, the level of cyanide needs to be minimised. Dr Bradbury
will explain the method he has developed.
Dr Howard Bradbury gave a most informative talk on his work to develop
a method for eliminating cyanide from Cassava in Africa. It is widely
grown in Africa because it is easy to grow from stem cuttings and survives
drought by dropping its leaves, then when rain comes they grow again.
As the population is increasing more is being planted.
Diseases caused by cyanide include acute intoxication with vomiting
and nausea, then death, iodine deficiencies that makes cretinism worse,
and Kongo, which results after taking in cyanide over a few months.
It causes motor neurone disease, which cripples people for life as they
cannot move their legs – so 5-year-olds have to crawl. Some people
with Kongo are treated in rehabilitation centres. There are many thousands
of people who suffer from Kongo – eg 2 thousand in Mozambique
and Tanzania; in the Congo there are 100,000 cases. Cassava is processed
to make flour; the roots are peeled then put out in the sun for a week.
It is crushed and pounded
then into flour. Dr Bradbury devised a kit, which has been distributed
to poor in Africa or sold to those in developed countries for $300.
The method he used to reduce the amount of cyanide was to put the flour
in a bowl, mark the level then put water in and leave for 5 hours. The
cyanide level drops and the toxicity of the cassava flour is reduced.
In 2005 there were trials in Mozambique, 60% of the women after testing
it, used it. Workshops were held and the kit was translated into Portuguese,
French and local language of the eastern part of the Congo. AusAid has
helped fund the program in North Mozambique and to Tanzania.
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