scholarly journals Toxic Metals in Cereals in Cape Verde: Risk Assessment Evaluation

Author(s):  
Carmen Rubio-Armendáriz ◽  
Soraya Paz ◽  
Ángel J. Gutiérrez ◽  
Verena Gomes Furtado ◽  
Dailos González-Weller ◽  
...  

Consumption of cereals and cereal-based products represents 47% of the total food energy intake in Cape Verde. However, cereals also contribute to dietary exposure to metals that may pose a risk. Strengthening food security and providing nutritional information is a high-priority challenge for the Cape Verde government. In this study, toxic metal content (Cr, Ni, Sr, Al, Cd, and Pb) is determined in 126 samples of cereals and derivatives (rice, corn, wheat, corn flour, wheat flour, corn gofio) consumed in Cape Verde. Wheat flour samples stand out, with the highest Sr (1.60 mg/kg), Ni (0.25 mg/kg) and Cr (0.13 mg/kg) levels. While the consumption of 100 g/day of wheat would contribute to 13.2% of the tolerable daily intake (TDI) of Ni, a consumption of 100 g/day of wheat flour would contribute to 8.18% of the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of Cd. Results show relevant Al levels (1.17–13.4 mg/kg), with the highest level observed in corn gofio. The mean Pb average content in cereals is 0.03–0.08 mg/kg, with the highest level observed in corn gofio. Al and Pb levels are lower in cereals without husks. Without being a health risk, the consumption of 100 g/day of wheat contributes to 17.5% of the European benchmark doses lower confidence limit (BMDL) of Pb for nephrotoxic effects; the consumption of 100 g/day of corn gofio provides an intake of 1.34 mg Al/day (13.7% of the TWI) and 8 µg Pb/day (20% of the BMDL for nephrotoxic effects). A strategy to minimize the dietary exposure of the Cape Verdean population to toxic metals from cereals should consider the continuous monitoring of imported cereals on arrival in Cape Verde, the assessment of the population's total diet exposure to toxic metals and educational campaigns.

Author(s):  
Carmen Rubio-Armendáriz ◽  
Soraya Paz ◽  
Ángel J Gutiérrez ◽  
Verena Gomes Furtado ◽  
Dailos González-Weller ◽  
...  

Cereals and their derivatives are the basis of human nutrition. However, cereals also contribute to the dietary exposure to toxic metals that may pose a risk. Strengthening food security and nutrition information is a high priority challenge for the Cape Verde Government. The toxic metals content (Cr, Ni, Sr, Al, Cd, Pb) has been determined in 126 samples of cereals and derivatives (rice, corn gofio, corn flour, wheat flour, corn, wheat) consumed in Cape Verde. Wheat flour samples stand out for registering the highest Sr (1.60 mg/kg), Ni (0.25 mg/kg) and Cr (0.13 mg/kg). The results show relevant Al levels (1.17 – 13.4 mg/kg) with its highest levels in corn gofio. The mean Pb average content in the cereals is 0.03 – 0.08 mg/kg with the highest level observed in corn gofio. The Al and Pb levels are lower in cereals without husks. A consumption of 100 g/day of corn gofio provide an intake of 1.34 mg Al/day (13.7% of the tolerable weekly intake established at 1 mg/kg bw/week) and 8 µg Pb/day (20% of the BMDL set at 0.63 µg/kg bw/day for nephrotoxic effects). The minimization of the dietary exposure of the Cape Verdean population to toxic metals is through the importation of higher quality cereals.


Author(s):  
Alberto Gutiérrez-Ravelo ◽  
Ángel J. Gutiérrez ◽  
Soraya Paz ◽  
Conrado Carrascosa-Iruzubieta ◽  
Dailos González-Weller ◽  
...  

Sarpa salpa is a fish belonging to the Sparidae family and is usually found in local markets. Toxic metals such as aluminum (Al), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and trace elements such as boron (B), barium (Ba), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), lithium (Li), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), strontium (Sr), vanadium (V) and zinc (Zn) are incorporated into fish tissues and remain there. The liver has the highest concentrations of all the analyzed toxic metals and almost all the analyzed trace elements. The consumption of 100 g/day of S. salpa muscle tissue does not pose a health risk. However, 100 g/day of liver consumption may pose a serious health risk due to the intake of Cd (572% of the tolerable weekly intake for adults with a body weight of 68.48 kg) and Pb (117% of the tolerable daily intake for adults weighing 68.48 kg). The consumption of liver of this species is not recommended due to its possible harmful effects on health.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. C. Ekhator ◽  
N. A. Udowelle ◽  
S. Igbiri ◽  
R. N. Asomugha ◽  
Z. N. Igweze ◽  
...  

Objective. Street-vended foods offer numerous advantages to food security; nevertheless, the safety of street food should be considered. This study has investigated the level of potential toxic metal (Pb, Cd, Hg, Sb, Mn, and Al) contamination among street-vended foods in Benin City and Umunede. Methods. Twenty street food samples were purchased from vendors at bus stops. Metals were analyzed with atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The methods developed by the US EPA were employed to evaluate the potential health risk of toxic metals. Results. The concentrations of the toxic metals in mg/kg were in the range of Pb (0.014–1.37), Cd (0.00–0.00017), Hg (0.00–0.00014), Sb (0.00–0.021), Mn (0.00–0.012), and Al (0.00–0.22). All the toxic metals except Pb were below permissible limit set by WHO, EU, and USEPA. The daily intake, hazard quotient, and hazard index of all toxic metals except for Pb in some street foods were below the tolerable daily intake and threshold value of 1, indicating an insignificant health risk. Total cancer risk was within the priority risk level of 1.0E-04 but higher than the acceptable risk level of 1E-06. Conclusion. Consumption of some of these street foods is of public health concern.


Author(s):  
Agnieszka Fischer ◽  
Barbara Brodziak-Dopierała ◽  
Joanna Bem ◽  
Bożena Ahnert

AbstractHoney is a highly valued product due to its nutritional value, pro-health and healing properties. Pollutants from the environment penetrate into nectar, honeydew, pollen and next into bee products and can cause human exposure after ingestion. Mercury (Hg) is a toxic metal to living organisms. This is why it was important to determine the level of Hg in consumed honey.The aim of this manuscript is to analyse mercury concentration in honeys collected on the territory of Poland. A total of 108 samples of honey purchased in regional apiaries and hypermarkets were tested. The concentration of Hg was analysed in various types of honey (multifloral, honeydew, linden, goldenrod, acacia, buckwheat, rapeseed, sunflower, heather, dandelion, phacelia). The values of the Estimated Daily Intake (EDI), Estimated Weekly Intake (EWI) and % Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (% PTWI) were calculated. This allowed estimating the amount of Hg taken during consumption of the tested honeys.The concentration of Hg ranged from 0.01 to 1.71 µg/kg and was 0.43 µg/kg on average. A higher concentration of Hg, which was statistically significant, was recorded in honeydew honey, then in compound honeys. Honeys produced from one raw material had the lowest concentration of Hg. There were no significant differences in the concentration of Hg depending on the origin of honey. The calculations have shown that consumption of a portion (19 g) of the tested honey per week is safe for both adults and children according to the applicable standards.


2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (12) ◽  
pp. 1934578X0800301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Didier Guédon ◽  
Michèle Brum ◽  
Jean-Marc Seigneuret ◽  
Danièle Bizet ◽  
Serge Bizot ◽  
...  

The main source of available forms of heavy metals (toxic metals) for the plant kingdom is anthropogenic, resulting from diverse activities such as metallurgic processing of ore, cement plants, uncontrolled discharge of sewage sludge, burning of fossil fuels and waste incineration plants, and leaded petrol. Agricultural chemicals (e.g. phosphate fertilizers containing cadmium) may also contribute to the contamination of cultivated plants. The main threats to human health from toxic metals are associated with exposure to lead, cadmium, mercury (organic forms, especially methylmercury) and arsenic (mineral form only), which have no known vital or beneficial effect on living organisms. As their toxicity often takes years to manifest and may go unsuspected, their toxicological risk is defined on the basis of the so-called Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI) values. Beside anthropogenic causes, the main factors that may lead to high levels of toxic metals in medicinal plants are their availability in the soil with soil pH as the most important parameter for uptake by the plant. Indeed, genetic features of certain plant species show a tendency to accumulate certain trace elements, especially cadmium (“cadmium collector”). A very recent revision draft of the monograph “Herbal drugs” (Ph. Eur., 1433) includes acceptance criteria for lead, cadmium and mercury. This proposal is discussed in detail, based on literature data dealing with terrestrial plants and seaweed. Additionally, the need for inclusion of tests for inorganic impurities in quality control specification is examined, based on a risk assessment. As the daily intake of food supplements is very similar to the one of herbal remedies, it would be advisable to take into account the same acceptance criteria. The specific situation has also been considered of exotic herbal remedies, particularly those of Asian origin, which have been repeatedly reported to contain toxic levels of heavy metals and/or arsenic resulting in heavy metal poisoning.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoli Qian ◽  
Chendong Yang ◽  
Xiaohang Xu ◽  
Ming Ao ◽  
Zhidong Xu ◽  
...  

Abstract Ninety-five wild forage plants (belonging to 22 species of 18 families) and their corresponding rhizosphere soil samples were collected from wastelands of a world large-scale abandoned Hg mining region for total Hg (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) analysis. The forage plant communities on the wastelands were dominated by the Asteraceae, Crassulaceae and Polygonaceae families. The THg and MeHg concentrations in the forage plants varied widely and were in the range of 0.10 to 13 mg/kg and 0.19 to 23 μg/kg, respectively. Shoots of Aster ageratoides showed the highest average THg concentration of 12±1.1 mg/kg, while those of Aster subulatus had the highest average MeHg concentrations of 7.4±6.1 μg/kg. Both the THg and MeHg concentrations in the aboveground plant parts exhibited positive correlations with the THg (r=0.70, P<0.01) and MeHg (r=0.68, P<0.01) concentrations in the roots but these were not correlated with the THg and MeHg concentrations in their rhizosphere soils. The species A. ageratoides, A. subulatus, and S. brachyotus showed strong accumulation of Hg and are of concern for herbivorous/omnivorous wildlife and feeding livestock. Taking the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) values for IHg recommended by the JECFA (2010) for human dietary exposure of 4 ng/g into account, grazing on 1.0 kg of forage (dry weight) by a 65 kg animal would mean that the daily intake of IHg was between 190-13200 μg, which reaches 3-5 order of magnitude higher than the permitted limit, suggesting a potential risk of exposure.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 815-823
Author(s):  
Md. Bayejid Hosen ◽  
Abu T.M. Abdullah ◽  
Md. Z.H. Howlader ◽  
Yearul Kabir

Background: Contamination of soil and agricultural products by heavy metals resulting from rapid industrial development has caused major concern. Dietary exposure to heavy metals has been associated with toxic and adverse health effects. The main threats to human health from heavy metals are associated with exposure to Pb, Cd and Hg. The aim of this study was to monitor the presence of heavy metals, minerals and trace elements in cereals consumed by Dhaka city residents. Methods: One hundred and sixty cereal samples were collected for eight (08) composited samples and analyzed for the determination of sixteen elements. Heavy metals were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), and other elements were determined by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). Results: The average concentrations of elements in cereals fall within the safe limit except for Pb, Cr, Na and Mg, which exceeded the safe limits. The daily intake of Cd (23.0 μg), Hg (63.0 μg) and As (13.6 μg) through cereals was below the risk level except for Pb (634.0 μg) and Cr (263.1 μg). The dietary intake of Na (1860.0 mg), Mg (347.0 mg) and Mn (4600.0 μg) exceeded the toxic level while K (829 mg) was below the RDA. Conclusion: As the main meal of average Bangladeshi people is boiled rice served with some vegetables, our findings indicate that the residents of Dhaka city are at risk from Pb and Cr contamination and their dietary need for some important minerals and trace elements is not fulfilled by cereals.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 568-579
Author(s):  
Liping Mo ◽  
Yongzhang Zhou ◽  
Gnanachandrasamy Gopalakrishnana ◽  
Xingyuan Li

AbstractSihui city (South China) is much affected by nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). To investigate the relationships between the toxic metals in soil and NPC incidence in Sihui, 119 surface soil samples were collected from agricultural fields and analyzed. The soil As–Cr contents in Longjiang (high-incidence area) are significantly lower than those in Weizheng and Jianglin (low-incidence areas), whereas the soil Pb content in Longjiang is significantly higher than that in Weizheng. The Nemerow pollution indices (PIN) of soils decrease in the order of Jianglin > Weizheng > Longjiang. The enrichment factor (EF) of Cd indicates that the Cd enrichment is contributed by human activities. Potential toxic metal-related ecological risk values decrease in the order of Jianglin > Weizheng > Longjiang. The mean hazard index (HI) value of Longjiang was lower than those of Weizheng and Jianglin. There are no adverse noncarcinogenic health effects of soil toxic metals to adults in the study areas. Carcinogenic risks of As and Cr via ingestion and dermal contact and total carcinogenic risk are within the warning range, from 10−6 to 10−4. Hence, we suggest that toxic metals in the soil may not be major geochemical carcinogenic factors of high NPC incidence in Sihui.


Languages ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 99
Author(s):  
Nicola Bermingham

Changes to the global infrastructure have contributed to the growing (linguistic) diversity of large metropolises. However, there have been calls from scholars to explore “emerging superdiversity” (DePalma and Pérez-Caramés 2018) in peripheral regions in order to fully understand the complexities and nuances of the sociolinguistics of globalisation (Wang et al. 2014; Pietikäinen et al. 2016). This article, therefore, explores language ideologies among a purposive sample of five young adults of Cape Verdean origin living in the peripheral region of Galicia, Spain, and draws on interview data to examine the ways in which multilingual migrants engage with the language varieties in their linguistic repertoire. In studying immigration from a former African colony to a bilingual European context, we can see how language ideologies from the migrant community are reflected in local ones. The sociolinguistic dynamics of Cape Verde and Galicia share many similarities: both contexts are officially bilingual (Galician and Spanish in Galicia, Kriolu and Portuguese in Cape Verde), and questions regarding the hierarchisation of languages remain pertinent in both cases. The ideologies about the value and prestige of (minority) languages that Cape Verdean migrants arrive with are thus accommodated by local linguistic ideologies in Galicia, a region which has a history of linguistic minoritisation. This has important implications for the ways in which language, as a symbolic resource, is mobilised by migrants in contexts of transnational migration. The findings of this study show how migrants are key actors in (re)shaping the linguistic dynamics of their host society and how, through their practices and discourses, they challenge long-standing assumptions about language, identity and linguistic legitimacy, and call into question ethno-linguistic boundaries.


2008 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTINA S. MCMAHON

This article examines what is at stake when performers and playwright critically transfigure oral histories when staging them theatrically. Representations of race and colonial history are integral to a nation's conception of its own cultural identity. These issues are at the forefront of many theatre productions in Cape Verde, an intensely creolized West African nation whose islands bear traces of the Europeans and Africans who have commingled there for centuries. The article examines two performances rooted in Cape Verdean history that challenge existing theoretical paradigms for the mimetic relationship between actors and the historical personae they portray onstage. Proposing the concept of the ‘historical imagination’, it explores how theatre artists self-consciously alter the local history they circulate to an international theatre festival stage and, concomitantly, how the theatre festival context and media coverage profoundly impact how national history is told within a global performance arena.


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