Toxicant-nutrient interaction as a veritable host resistance against chemical toxicity in the rapidly industrializing developing nations

Growing evidence indicates that chemical utilization including toxic waste in the developing countries is on the increase. These nations have limited facilities for sound chemical management involving production, use and disposal of chemicals with minimal adverse effects on human and environmental health. Though concerns are important to all nations, they appear particularly salient to the industrializing countries under pressures to achieve development and eradicate poverty yet with limited capacity for sound chemical management. This increases the risk of chemical toxicity, with consequences such as genotoxicity, cancer and teratogenicity. The growing chemical burden implies the need for an efficient and effective means of xenobiotic metabolism and host resistance. Relevant literature on nutrients and toxicants interaction in various search engines were reviewed. The possible role of host resistance, essentially involving nutritional modulation has been ignored. Nutrient-toxicant response pathways could be affordable strategies against excessive chemical exposure. Zinc, a prime micronutrient is an antioxidant [Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD)], component of p53, guardian of the genome; active in the repair of DNA damage and apoptosis; protective against carcinogenesis. Zinc also plays an important role in vitamin A metabolism, in turn important in differentiation and central to retinoids involved in gene expression. Zinc is important in all the stages of the cell cycle, derangement of which may be a pathway to carcinogenesis. Use of this and other protective nutrients including folate and selenium, among others, appears a veritable approach to improving host resistance against chemical toxicity and should be considered promising in developing nations

Dechets toxiques deverses a Abidjan (Cote-d'Ivoire) et consequences sanitaire

La pollution accidentelle par des produits chimiques peut avoir de graves consequences pour les populations humaines. En 2006; le navire Probo Koala decharge plusieurs centaines de tonnes de dechets toxiques dans plusieurs sites de la ville d'Abidjan (Cote d'Ivoire). Dans les jours et semaines qui suivent; des milliers de personnes presen- tent des signes d'intoxication. Les expertises realisees sur les dechets revelent la presence de produits toxiques comme lesmercaptans et l'hydrogene sulfure. Le bilan sanitaire fait etat de huit deces; plusieurs dizaines de personnes hospitalisees et environ 100 000 consultations medicales. Cet episode rappelle qu'a l'instar des deplacements internationaux des personnes; les transfertsmondiaux de dechets industriels peuvent avoir de graves consequences sur le plan sanitaire; en particulier dans les pays du sud