Quality Of Ice Produced In Kabul: Public Concerns, Review By Moph

KABUL (Pajhwok): During hot summers, most families and shopkeepers in Kabul use ice, but concerns have arisen about its quality and safety. Officials say many ice production factories in the capital use rusted molds and substandard equipment.

Health experts warn that if rust detaches from molds and mixes with ice, its consumption can lead to various infectious and contagious diseases.

Ice is widely used daily in beverages, food storage, health centers, restaurants, shops and homes.

Standards for ice production

A standard ice production factory must ensure the safety and quality of its product by following strict health, technical, and environmental guidelines. Key measures include installing purification and filtration systems for incoming water. Machines, molds, tanks and walls should be made of rust-resistant materials such as stainless steel, be thermally insulated and easy to clean.

Staff should wear clean work clothes, gloves, caps and masks to prevent direct contact between ice and unsanitary surfaces.

Eyewitness report

The yards of both factories visited were dusty and disorganized. Water storage tanks and interior walls were made of cement and appeared poorly maintained. Workers' clothing was unclean and lacked proper uniforms. In one factory, molds and some workers' clothing had rusted away.

Eng. Syed Nemat Hosinian, Capacity Building and Public Awareness Specialist in Food Science at the Drug and Food Authority (DFA) of the Ministry of Public Health, said the Food Safety Risk Analysis and Surveillance Department reviewed 15 active ice factories in Kabul over the past year and published their findings.

According to him, most ice factories do not meet the required standards and continue to use rusted molds, posing health risks.

He added,“Laboratory results confirm the presence of heavy metals in some of their water, which, if ingested, can pose serious health hazards.”

Rust in the ice industry: A public health threat

The DFA shared a copy of a report (Analysis 16 –“Potential Harms and Damages from Using Rusted Iron Molds in the Ice Industry”) with Pajhwok.

The report states that rust in sensitive industries-especially ice production, water purification, and food and pharmaceutical sectors-can have serious consequences.

Iron rust not only damages industrial equipment but its toxic particles can also enter air and water. These substances may contaminate drinking water, ice, and food, causing digestive and microbial illnesses.

The report further notes that under certain conditions, rust can combine with hazardous substances such as lead, arsenic, or nitrates to form toxic and carcinogenic compounds. If ingested through contaminated water or ice, these compounds can cause severe illnesses.

It said:“Studies show that the chronic accumulation of metallic oxides in the body may lead to neurological and cognitive disorders, kidney problems, damage to the liver and digestive system and an increased risk of cancer.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Syed Farid Shah Rafiyee, an internal medicine specialist at Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan Hospital, told Pajhwok that if rust separates rom ice molds and mixes with ice, it may enter the body through consumption and cause various infectious and contagious diseases.

He said that if rust combines with certain hazardous metals that were sometimes present in containers – such as lead or similar substances – it could pose even greater health risks and may even be life-threatening.

He added:“We have at times encountered patients in the hospital who, after consuming ice- particularly ice produced in rusted molds- have suffered from digestive problems and infectious diseases.”

Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) recommendations for improving hygiene standards in ice factories

Safiullah Alamyar, a food analysis and surveillance expert at MoPH, said during a visit to ice factories:“We recommended to ice factories that they install water purification machines, replace their molds, wear proper uniforms and factory footwear and strictly observe hygiene inside the factory.”

He emphasised that metal equipment in humid environments must be regularly inspected and that water and ice should be routinely tested to ensure they are free from metallic particles.

Consumers' views on factory-produced ice

Ahmad Basir, a lemonade seller in Khair Khana area of Kabul, said:“I am not satisfied with this ice because the water is salty. If the water were sweet, it would be better. When I put the ice in my thermos, it leaves sediment at the bottom.”

He added:“Although I use this ice, I am not sure it is hygienic, as factory owners do not properly observe cleanliness.”

He called on ice producers to use clean, fresh water and to strictly maintain hygiene.

Similarly, Nazir Ahmad, a shopkeeper in Shahr-i-Naw area of Kabul, said they consume four blocks of ice daily, supplied by a company, but he was not confident about its hygiene.

He added:“When we look at their moulds, they are not in good condition. They do not observe hygiene. The moulds are very rusty and not cleaned properly. They also don't use clean water. With frequent power cuts, most families are now using ice at home, which creates problems. People fall sick. The unhygienic nature of the ice is more noticeable in drinking water at home.”

He demanded stricter monitoring of ice factories and urged producers to use clean water and take cleanliness seriously.

Responses from ice producers

The head of one ice factory in Kabul told Pajhwok:“Salt water must be applied to the moulds so that the outside does not freeze, but the inside does. Because of the salt, no matter what we do, the outside of the mould becomes rusty. It is impossible to prevent rust. However, we pay a lot of attention to cleanliness.”

He added that if their moulds become rusty, they replace them and do not allow rust to contaminate the ice.

He continued:“MoPH told us to focus on factory cleanliness, install filters, and prevent the moulds from rusting, because it harms people's health.”

Another ice producer in Kabul said their moulds did not rust, but admitted they had not been using the water filter that was installed.

He added that going forward, they would activate it and put it to use.

He said that last year MoPH had also given them recommendations and they replaced their rusted moulds accordingly.

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