Puplic Health Implications of Pesticide Residues in Irish Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) from Jos Nigeria

Abstract

Objectives There is a growing public health concern on the indiscriminate use of pesticides in agriculture among farmers from developing countries including Nigeria. The presence of pesticide residues in food samples may pose a deleterious effect on food safety and consequently compromise the health of consumers especially children, elderly, and pregnant women. The estimation of pesticides residues via dietary intake constitutes a vital integral part of regulatory processes that seeks to preserve public health. This study is therefore focused on the estimation of some pesticide residues in samples of Irish potatoes collected from Jos Nigeria. Methods The samples were collected from five different markets in Jos Plateau State Nigeria. All the samples were transported to the Central Research Laboratory, Ilorin, Nigeria. The pesticide residue analysis was carried out using GC/MS after sample extraction, filtration and Concentration. After the analysis was carried out, the result obtained were subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) statistical software (version 21) after which the Mean, Standard deviations and ANOVA (Analysis of variance) were calculated. Results The result shows that 17 different pesticide residues were identified with ten (10) organochlorines, two (2) organophosphates, one (1) thiocarbamate, one (1) benzamide and two (2) of them were unclassified. The concentration of these pesticides were determined which was then used to determine the estimated daily intake. The ADI and MRL for each pesticide was sought for and the health risk was also evaluated. With the results obtained, it was noticed that most of these pesticides usually exceed their ADI and MRL which then makes them hazardous to the human health. Considering the health risk index of consumers Aldrin, Heptachlor, Mecarbem and Dieldrin proved to be very hazardous (P > 1). Conclusions These pesticides can cause harmful effects on the food commodities which ultimately cause a damaging impact on the health of human. To guarantee food safety, continuous monitoring is recommended for pesticide residues in Irish potatoes. Funding Sources Self-sponsored.

Advancing Women's Health in Nigeria: A Review of Laboratory Science Contributions Description

“…Furthermore, the study by Otitoju and Otitoju highlights the public health implications of pesticide residues in food samples in Nigeria (Otitoju and Otitoju, 2020). The presence of pesticide residues may pose deleterious effects on food safety and consequently compromise the health of consumers, especially vulnerable populations such as children, elderly, and pregnant women.…”