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A Review of the Health Implications of Heavy Metals in Food Chain in Nigeria.

ABSTRACT: Heavy metals such as Zn, Pb, Fe, and Cu are abundant in the environment and contribute largely to the sustainability and equilibrium of ecosystem processes. However, because of their bioaccumulation, nondegradability, and the excessive amounts in which they exist, these metals contaminate the food chain and subsequently become a source of toxicity to human beings and the entire ecological function. This is a major issue of concern within the study of environmental science and geochemistry. Although there is a global significance to the issue, it seems more immediate for the developing countries (DCs) such as Nigeria, where the pressure of the teeming population escalates the exigency for human sustainability, food security, and total eradication of hunger. Within the Nigerian context, many studies have examined this all-important issue, but most of these studies are fragmented and limited within the purview of mostly individual states and localities within the country. Taken on a wider geographical scale, the discussions and perspectives of these studies on heavy metal contamination of the food chain offer insufficient insight and expose merely a snapshot of the actual situation. As a result of this, a country-wide knowledge base of the implications of heavy metals on the food chain is lacking. Thus, the present study synthesises existing literature and their findings to create a knowledge base on the vulnerability of the food chain in Nigeria. Aquatic foods, fruits, vegetables, and major staple food such as tubers are the major host of carcinogenic and mutagenic components of heavy metals in Nigeria. This study motivates the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), along with other food and agricultural agencies, to intensify their efforts in monitoring and analysing food components, and we advise consumers to eat with certain degrees of caveat.

SUBMITTER: Nkwunonwo UC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7182971 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A Review of the Health Implications of Heavy Metals in Food Chain in Nigeria.

Nkwunonwo Ugonna C UC Odika Precious O PO Onyia Nneka I NI

TheScientificWorldJournal 20200416

Heavy metals such as Zn, Pb, Fe, and Cu are abundant in the environment and contribute largely to the sustainability and equilibrium of ecosystem processes. However, because of their bioaccumulation, nondegradability, and the excessive amounts in which they exist, these metals contaminate the food chain and subsequently become a source of toxicity to human beings and the entire ecological function. This is a major issue of concern within the study of environmental science and geochemistry. Altho ...[more]

PMID: 32351345

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Project description:BackgroundBesides their benefits, heavy metals are toxic, persistent, and hazardous to human health, even at their lower concentrations. Consumption of unsafe concentrations of food contaminated with heavy metals may lead to the disruption of numerous biological and biochemical processes in the human body. In developing country including Ethiopia, where untreated or partially treated wastewater is used for agricultural purposes, the problems related to the consumption foods contaminated with heavy metals may poses highest risk to human health. Therefore, this review was aimed to determine the public health implications of heavy metals in foods and drinking water in Ethiopia.MethodsThe articles published from 2016 to 2020 were identified through systematic searches of electronic databases that include MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, CINAH, Google Scholar, WHO, and FAO Libraries. The data was extracted using a predetermined data extraction form using Microsoft Excel, 2016. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using mixed methods appraisal tool (MMAT) version 2018 and Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tools to determine the relevance of the studies. Finally, the results were evaluated based on the FAO/WHO guidelines for foods and drinking water.ResultsA total of 1019 articles published from 2016 to 2020 were searched from various electronic databases and by manual searching on Google. Following the initial screening, 317 articles were retrieved for evaluation and 49 articles were assessed for eligibility, of which 21 studies were included in the systematic review. The mean concentration of Cr, Cd, Pb, As, Hg, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Fe and Mn in fruits and vegetables ranged from 2.068-4.29, 0.86-1.37, 1.90-4.70, 1.01-3.56, 3.43-4.23, 19.18-98.15, 4.39-9.42, 1.037-5.27, 0.19-1.0, 199.5-370.4, 0.26-869 mg/kg, respectively. The mean concentration Cr, Cd, Pb, As, Zn, and Fe in meat and milk ranged from 1.032-2.72, 0.233-0.72, 1.32-3.15, 0.79-2.96, 78.37-467.7, and 505.61-3549.9 mg/kg, respectively. The mean concentration of Cr, Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cu in drinking water ranged 0.0089-0.054, 0.02-0.0237, 0.005-0.369, 0.625-2.137, and 0.176-1.176 ml/L, respectively. The mean concentration of Cr, Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Fe, and Mn in other edible cereals ranged from 0.973-2.165, 0.424-0.55, 0.65-1.70, 70.51-81.58, 14.123-15.98, 1.89-13.8, 1.06-1.59, 67.866-110.3, and 13.686-15.4 mg/kg, respectively.ConclusionThis systematic review identified heavy metals in foods and drinking water and determined their public health implications. The results of this finding imply that the majority of the studies reported high concentrations of toxic heavy metals in foods and drinking water that are hazardous to human health. Therefore, effective food safety and risk-based food quality assessment are essential to protect the public health.

Project description:Background:Aquatic pollution by heavy metals has become a global problem and is of great concern due to the detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems and possible human uptake. Objectives:The present study aimed to evaluate tissue bioaccumulations of heavy metals and possible human health risks in addition to associated cellular damages in fish for sale in a fish market in Abuja, Nigeria. Methods:Clarias gariepinus sold at the Kado Fish Market in Abuja, Nigeria, in March-April 2017 and March-April 2018 were randomly purchased and sampled. The heavy metal contents of the sampled fish were assayed and used to assess the extent of potential health risks to human consumers. The extent of histopathological changes associated with the bioaccumulations in the sampled fish were also evaluated according to standard procedures. Results:Levels of most heavy metals were above permissible limits, except for lower levels of zinc (Zn) in liver and muscle and higher levels of lead (Pb) in muscle in the sampled fish. Similarly, significant (p<0.05) liver bioaccumulation occurred for Zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), and copper (Cu) compared to their levels in muscle. The total hazard index (non-cancer risk across all metals) was 0.0415, which is very low and acceptable. The cancer risks ranged between the acceptable values of 1.98 × 10-5 - 3.71 × 10-6. Associated histopathological changes, which occurred in the sampled fish, differed between the various assayed tissues. Conclusions:Most of the heavy metals were significantly bioaccumulated (p<0.05) and were above the permissible levels, particularly in liver samples. The levels of muscle heavy metal bioaccumulation in the sampled fish posed no apparent cancer or non-cancer health risks to human consumers. However, further efforts are needed to minimize heavy metal aquatic environmental pollution to safeguard the health of aquatic flora and fauna and human consumers because of the tendency of these pollutants to persist and bioaccumulate to toxic levels over time. Competing Interests:The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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A Review of the Health Implications of Heavy Metals in Food Chain in Nigeria.

Publications

A Review of the Health Implications of Heavy Metals in Food Chain in Nigeria.

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