This study was carried out to determine the concentrations of zinc, copper, nickel, arsenic and lead in four brands of compound fish feeds (Aqua® , Multi® , Top® and Vital®) obtained in Northern zones (North Central, North West And North East) of Nigeria. Five samples of each of the brands were respectively collected from five different distributors in each of the three zones. The composite samples were prepared by the standard dry ashing method and the concentrations of heavy metals were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). The results obtained revealed that Vital® feed contained mean concentrations of 11.326 mg/kg and 6.501mg/kg for zinc and copper respectively, higher than the other brands. The concentrations of these essential elements in the feeds were lower than the standard permissible limits. Multi® feed contained the highest mean concentrations of nickel (0.653mg/kg) and arsenic (0.072mg/kg) while Aqua® feed had the highest mean concentration of lead (2.690 mg/kg). There were no significant differences (p<0.05) in concentrations of the heavy metals in all the brands of fish feeds sampled within and across the three zones. Overall,the concentrations of copper, zinc, lead, arsenic and nikel found in the four compound fish feeds were below the permissible limits stipulated by the European Union. Despite these findings, more stringent measures are recomended to avoid contamination of the feeds with lead and arsenic, which are known public health risks.

Eating of road side ready-to-eat (RTE) salads that is made with green leafy vegetables (GLVs) commonly lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) or Cress (Lepidium sativum Linn.) as the key constituents coupled with adding tomatoes, sliced onions, cucumber, groundnut cake and so on has been reported to cause severe safety threats owing to its being extremely disposed to microbiologically inclined contamination, thereby leading to a public health issue. Pathogenic microorganisms pollute salads as a result of mishandling of raw vegetables, during preparation of salads and also associated environment. Soils typically harbor abundant microorganisms, some of which are human pathogens such as B. cereus, Clostridium botulinum, C. perfringens, Listeria monocytogenes and Aeromonas. Birds are carriers of pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella and Campylobacter. Reptiles and arthropods are usually in cultivation fields, and therefore have unrestricted access to produce and many bacterial species have evolved to exploit these animals as hosts or vectors. Insect deterioration creates openings that aid the ingress of pathogens into inner plant tissues, thereby enhancing colonization of spoilage and pathogenic bacteria on produce. Not only animals, similarly people working with the vegetables produce are known to be a source and direct contact vector of microorganisms. Hence this type of food is regarded as potential vehicles of food borne illnesses resulting in large and serious national and international outbreaks. Thus, the essence of this study is to review the safety of the RTE vegetable salads, assessing the contamination level of the most prevalent pathogenic microorganisms. RTE salads can be contaminated with different types of foodborne pathogens from farm-to-fork that makes them unsafe for human consumption. Regulatory bodies should design periodic workshop training for RTE food hawkers to help fix the problems and enhance the effectiveness of RTE vegetables salads preparation. Public awareness on the serious health risk associated with mishandled or poorly prepared minimally processed RTE foods most especially vegetable salads should be considered.

This study determine the level of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cr, Zn, Fe) in water samples obtained from different sources (well water, borehole water and table water) in Tudun Murala, Nassarawa local government area, Kano state. The concentrations of heavy metals in the water samples were determined using flame Atomic Absorption spectrometer. Results showed that the concentration of Pb, Cd, Cr and Fe in water samples were within the range: 0.295- 0.579, 0.471- 0.529, 0.550- 1.000, 0.3636 - 0.4545mg/l respectively, which were above the permissible limits set by WHO. Whereas the concentration of Zn (0.0814 - 0.173) was within the limit set. The elevated concentration of heavy metals could be linked to environmental factors and industrial pollution in the area.

Vegetables are one of the classes of foods that importantly contribute to the whole health and wellbeing of its consumers. It benefits the human body with important nutrients and help in reducing kind of chronic diseases. Ready-to-eat (RTE) foods are generally becoming more popular even in the developing world due to change in lifestyles. One of the most usually RTE food consumed in the northern Nigeria is road side salad that is arranged with vegetables usually lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) or Cress (Lepidium sativum Linn.) as the main components with the addition of tomato, onion and carrot. However, the consumption of RTE foods promote severe safety threats as vegetables prove well-known trace element and heavy metals (HMs) some of which are essential for good health while some are toxic. HMs include lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), silver (Ag), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and platinum (Pt). Different sources through which vegetables can be contaminated with these HMs are natural sources, agricultural sources, industrial sources, domestic effluent, atmospheric sources and other sources. Ingestion of vegetables containing HMs is one of the major means in which these elements enter human body. Once entered, HMs is dumped in bone and fat tissues, overlapping noble minerals. Slowly released into the body, HMs can cause an array of diseases. Thus, the essence of this study is to review the safety of the RTE vegetable salads, assessing the contamination level of some dangerous HMs present. As RTE salads can be contaminated with different types HMs that makes them unsafe for human consumption, regulatory bodies should design a periodic workshop training for RTE foods hawkers to help fix the problems and enhance the effectiveness of RTE vegetables salads preparation. Public awareness on the serious health risk associated with mishandled prepared insignificantly processed RTE foods most especially vegetable salads should be considered.