Street foods exacerbate effects of the environmental burden of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Nigeria.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a large group of well-known toxicants with carcinogenic potential and other health effects including on the immune system. The high health risks of non-communicable diseases and relevant comorbidities in Africa, particularly in contaminated areas like e-waste and crude oil and gas exploration areas and for high consumers of food commodity groupings which are most critical for PAH exposure, are exacerbated by dietary exposure due to unsafe practices in commonly consumed foods, like those street vended.In February 2016, 20 commonly consumed street foods were purchased directly from vendors at major bus stops in Benin City and Umunede in Nigeria. The concentration of 16 priority PAHs was determined. The dietary intake of B[a]P, ∑PAH, PAH4, PAH8, and ∑B(a)Peq was estimated for children, peripubertal children/adolescent, and adult using the total diet study (TDS) method. Among the analyzed PAHs, there was a predominance of chrysene (17.42 µg/kg). Roasted yam (14.15 µg/kg) and fried fish (1.40 µg/kg) had the highest levels of ∑PAH and B[a]P, respectively. The mean concentration of B[a]P, ∑PAH, PAH4, PAH8, and ∑B(a)Peq ranged from 0.65-1.40 µg/kg, 0.20-14.15 µg/kg, 0.43-5.22 µg/kg, 0.13-7.88 µg/kg, and 0.002-2.123 µg/kg, respectively. The mean concentration of B[a]P and PAH4 reported in this study was below the maximum allowable levels of 5 and 12 µg/kg for adults and above the maximum levels for young children set at 1.0 µg/kg for both B[a]P and PAH4 in food. The estimated dietary intake of B[a]P, ∑PAH, PAH4, PAH8, and ∑B(a)Peq for adult, adolescent, and children was 0.56, 0.37, and 0.31 µg/day; 17.6, 10.7, and 8.81 µg/day; 5.78, 4.01, and 3.26 µg/day; 9.22, 6.19, and 5.09 µg/day; and 1.72, 0.97, and 0.82 µg/day, respectively.Street foods represent one important source of PAHs. The exposure occurring through street food compounds with that from home-made foods, environmental pollution, and lifestyle (tobacco smoke) is making up an aggregate daily exposure in the general population.The incremental lifetime cancer risk for adults and children from the consumption of street food was 7.6 × 10-8 and 2.1 × 10-8, respectively. Along with initiatives to manage environmental contamination and promote healthier lifestyle, people should be empowered on healthy cooking practices and safe food cookery environments.

Health risk assessment and dietary exposure of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), lead and cadmium from bread consumed in Nigeria.

Objective: A risk assessment and dietary exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), lead and cadmium from bread, a common food consumed in Nigeria. Material and Methods: Sixty samples of bread were collected from different types of bakeries where the heat is generated by wood (42 samples) or by electricity (18 samples) from twenty bakeries located in Gusau Zamfara (B1- B14) and Port Harcourt Rivers States (B15-B20) in Nigeria. PAHs in bread were determined by gas chromatography. Lead and cadmium were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results: Non-carcinogenic PAHs pyrene (13.72 µg/kg) and genotoxic PAHs (PAH8), benzo[a]anthracene (9.13 µg/ kg) were at the highest concentrations. Total benzo[a]pyrene concentration of 6.7 µg/kg was detected in 100% of tested samples. Dietary intake of total PAHs ranged between 0.004-0.063 µg/kg bw. day-1 (children), 0.002-0.028 µg/kg day-1 (adolescents), 0.01-0.017 µg/kg day-1 (male), 0.002-0.027 µg/kg day-1 (female), and 0.002-0.025 µg/kg day-1 (seniors). The Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) for Pb and Cd were below 1. Lead ranged from 0.01-0.071 mg/kg with 10.85 and 100% of bread samples violating the permissible limit set by USEPA, WHO and EU respectively. Cadmium ranged from 0.01-0.03 mg/kg, with all bread samples below the permissible limits as set by US EPA, JECFA and EU. The daily intake of Pb and Cd ranged from 0.03-0.23 µg/kg bw day-1 and 0.033-0.36 µg/kg bw day-1 respectively. Incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) was 3.8 x 10-7. Conclusions: The levels of these contaminants in bread if not controlled might present a possible route of exposure to heavy metals and PAHs additional to the body burden from other sources.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In Edible Mushrooms from Niger Delta, Nigeria: Carcinogenic and Non-Carcinogenic Health Risk Assessment

In the oil-rich Niger Delta, hydrocarbon pollution and oil spillages, gas flaring and sundry anthropogenic activities constitute sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), with food contamination playing a major role in human exposure. In this study we assessed PAH levels in wild and cultivated edible mushroom species consumed by the general population from the oil producing Niger Delta, Nigeria. The concentrations of USEPA-16 PAHs were determined by gas chromatography and carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks were calculated. The concentrations of USEPA-16 PAHs ranged from 0.02 mg/kg ­ 3.37 mg/kg. The dietary intake of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic USEPA-16 PAHs (Naphthalene, Acenaphthylene, Acenaphthene, Anthracene, Phenanthrene, Flourene, Flouranthene, Pyrene, Benzo[a]Anthracene, Chrysene, Benzo[a]Pyrene, Benzo[b]Flouranthene, Benzo[K]Flouranthene, Benzo[g,h,i] Perylene, Dibenz[a,h]Anthracene and Ideno[1,2,3-cd]Pyrene) for adults, adolescents and seniors ranged from 0.00 ­ 0.05 mg/kg/day, 0.00 ­ 0.06 mg/kg/day and 0.00 ­ 0.07 mg/kg/day. The BaPeq ranged from 0.02 ­ 2.76 with margin of exposure MOE values of BaP ranging from 3,500,000 to 700,000, 3,500,000 and 3,500,000 to 7,000,000 for adults, adolescents and seniors indicating very insignificant health risk. The incremental lifetime cancer risk was within the safe range of 1.56x10-8 ­ 1.73x10-6 with the highest calculated risk found for wild Pleurotus ostreatus mushroom species from the study area.

Heavy metals hazards from Nigerian spices.

BACKGROUND: Natural spices are commonly used by the people in Nigeria. They may be easily contaminated with heavy metals when they are dried and then pose a health risk for the consumers. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the levels of heavy metals in some commonly consumed natural spices namely Prosopis Africana, Xylopia aethiopica, Piper gineense, Monodora myristica, Monodora tenuifolia and Capsicum frutescens sold in the local markets of Awka, Anambra state, South East Nigeria to estimate the potential health risk. RESULTS: The range of heavy metal concentration was in the order: Zn (14.09 - 161.04) > Fe (28.15 - 134.59) > Pb (2.61 - 8.97) > Cr (0.001 - 3.81) > Co (0.28 - 3.07) > Ni (0.34 - 2.89). Pb, Fe and Zn exceeded the maximum allowable concentrations for spices. The Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) of the spices varied from 0.06-0.5. Estimated daily intakes (EDI) were all below the tolerable daily intake (TDI). The lead levels in Prosopis africana, Xylopia aethiopica, Piper gineense, Monodora myristica and Capsicum frutescens which are 8-30 times higher than the WHO/FAO permissible limit of 0.3 mg/kg. CONCLUSIONS: Lead contamination of spices sold in Awka (south east Nigeria) may add to the body burden of lead. A good quality control for herbal food is important in order to protect consumers from contamination. KEY WORDS: food products, spices, potential toxic metals, risk assessment, public health.