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A Review of Health Risks and Pathways for Exposure to Wastewater Use in Agriculture.

ABSTRACT: Wastewater is increasingly being used in the agricultural sector to cope with the depletion of freshwater resources as well as water stress linked to changing climate conditions. As wastewater irrigation expands, research focusing on the human health risks is critical because exposure to a range of contaminants must be weighed with the benefits to food security, nutrition and livelihoods.The goal of this paper was to review research examining health risks and exposure pathways associated with wastewater irrigation to identify research trends and gaps.We conducted a review of the literature and identified a total of 126 studies published from 1995 to 2013. Findings were summarized based on several themes including types of exposure pathways, wastewater contaminants, methodological approaches and the geographical distribution of research.Only 23 studies used epidemiological methods, while most research applied alternative methods to estimate risk, such as quantitative risk assessment models or comparisons of crop contamination to established guidelines for wastewater reuse. A geographic breakdown demonstrated a focus on microbiological contaminants in specific regions such as sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, despite growing chemical risks associated with rapid urbanization and industrialization that may change the types and distribution of wastewater contaminants.To provide a more comprehensive understanding of the health risks of wastewater use in agriculture, future research should consider multiple exposure routes, long-term health implications, and increase the range of contaminants studied, particularly in regions heavily dependent on wastewater irrigation.Dickin SK, Schuster-Wallace CJ, Qadir M, Pizzacalla K. 2016. A review of health risks and pathways for exposure to wastewater use in agriculture. Environ Health Perspect 124:900-909;?http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1509995.

SUBMITTER: Dickin SK

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4937861 | biostudies-other | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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A Review of Health Risks and Pathways for Exposure to Wastewater Use in Agriculture.

Dickin Sarah K SK Schuster-Wallace Corinne J CJ Qadir Manzoor M Pizzacalla Katherine K

Environmental health perspectives 20160129 7

<h4>Background</h4>Wastewater is increasingly being used in the agricultural sector to cope with the depletion of freshwater resources as well as water stress linked to changing climate conditions. As wastewater irrigation expands, research focusing on the human health risks is critical because exposure to a range of contaminants must be weighed with the benefits to food security, nutrition and livelihoods.<h4>Objectives</h4>The goal of this paper was to review research examining health risks an ...[more]

PMID: 26824464

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Project description:BackgroundMycotoxins are toxic fungal secondary metabolites that contaminate a wide spectrum of essential foods worldwide, such as grain-based products, nuts and spices, causing adverse health effects pertaining to their carcinogenic, nephrotoxic and hepatotoxic nature, among others.AimThe aim of this systematic review (SR) is to systematically search for, appraise and synthesize primary research evidence to identify what is known about dietary mycotoxin-related health effects and what remains unknown, as well as the uncertainty around findings and the recommendations for the future.Search strategy and eligibility criteriaSearch strategies, as well as eligibility criteria were structured according to a predefined PECO (population, exposure, comparison, and outcome) research question and developed in an iterative scoping process. Several bibliographic databases, including Embase, Cochrane Library, Pubmed, Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus, will be searched. Primary research on any measured or modelled dietary exposure to a single or multiple mycotoxins, and adverse human health outcomes (i.e. cancer, non-carcinogenic diseases, and reproductive & developmental adverse outcomes) will be included, and references will be imported into Covidence. In vitro, ex vivo, in silico, animal and review studies, as well as expert's opinions, secondary literature, conference abstracts, presentations, posters, book chapters, dissertations and studies involving non-dietary mycotoxin exposure, will be excluded.Study selectionTwo independent reviewers will screen titles and abstracts, and review full-texts. Any disagreements will be resolved by a third reviewer based on two-third majority.Data extractionData from retained eligible studies will be extracted by the principal reviewer, and peer-checked by a second reviewer.Study quality assessmentEligible studies will be evaluated for risk of bias (Overall High-Quality Assessment Tool, OHAT) and certainty of evidence (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation, GRADE).Evidence synthesisA detailed summary of the included studies will be provided within a tabular format and narratively discussed. Heat maps will be constructed to provide information on available knowledge (gaps), and a meta-analysis may be performed based on the variability in predefined PECO elements and depending on the heterogeneity of studies.ConclusionThis protocol describes the methodology for the conduct of a SR on mycotoxin-related human health risks, that could guide future research and inform regulatory decisions, as emphasized by the European Commission within the field of regulatory risk assessment for emerging chemicals.

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A Review of Health Risks and Pathways for Exposure to Wastewater Use in Agriculture.

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A Review of Health Risks and Pathways for Exposure to Wastewater Use in Agriculture.

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