Occurrence of organic micropollutants and human health risk assessment based on consumption of Amaranthus viridis, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Georgette N. Ngweme, Dhafer Mohammed M. Al Salah, Amandine Laffite, Periyasamy Sivalingam, Dominique Grandjean, Konde Nkiama Numbi Joël, Crispin K. Mulaji, Florian Breider, John Poté
The Science of The Total Environment
Urban Farm DB summary
This study investigated levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in irrigation water, soil, and Amaranthus viridis from gardening sites in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, to assess environmental and human health risks. A survey of pesticide and fertilizer use was conducted with 740 market gardeners, and POPs (organochlorine pesticides, PCBs, PBDEs, and PAHs) were analyzed in irrigation water and 144 vegetable samples. The highest PAH levels were found in A. viridis at all sites studied; the sum of seven PCB congeners ranged from 15.89 to 401.36 ng/g; chlorpyrifos-ethyl and p,p'-DDE were the predominant OCPs detected; and among PBDEs, only BDE47 was quantified at notable concentration in the plants, with none detected in irrigation water. Higher estimated daily intake values indicated that consuming the leafy vegetables could be associated with increased health risks, though calculated incremental lifetime cancer risk values indicated no potential carcinogenic risk for the local population. The study recommends implementing urban agriculture control programs for POPs and fertilizer use in Kinshasa to protect public health.