The study was conducted to monitor the concentration of pesticide residues in three staple vegetables (tomato, cabbage, lettuce) collected from 12 prefectures belonging to 4 agro-ecological regions of Togo. A total of 150 samples of ripe tomato, cabbage and lettuce were collected from the study areas and analyzed for 20 OCPs (organochlorine pesticides) residues, which can be grouped into DDTs, Drins, Heptachlors, Chlordanes and HCHs. The data revealed that 100% of the analyzed vegetable samples were contaminated by one or more pesticide residues; 83.32% and 100% were below the maximum residue limits (MRLs) set par European Union and FAO/WHO respectively whereas 16.68% were above the EU (MRLs) adopted values. Overall, cabbage contained the highest number of samples with pesticide residues above the MRLs followed by tomato, whilst none of lettuce samples contained pesticide residues above the MRLs. It is therefore proposed to perform continuous monitoring studies of pesticide residues in vegetables cultivated in Togo.
Drinking water, cowpea and maize grains were sampled in some potentially exposed agro-ecological areas in Togo and analysed for their contamination by some common organochlorine pesticides. A total of 19 organochlorine pesticides were investigated in ten subsamples of maize, ten subsamples of cowpea and nine subsamples of drinking water. Analytical methods included solvent extraction of the pesticide residues and their subsequent quantification using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of pesticides were also determined. Pesticides residues in drinking water (0.04-0.40 microg l(-1)) were higher than the maximum residue limit (MRL) (0.03 microg l(-1)) set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor epoxide and endosulfan levels (13.16-98.79 microg kg(-1)) in cowpea grains exceeded MRLs applied in France (10-50 microg kg(-1)). Contaminants' levels in maize grains (0.53-65.70 microg kg(-1)) were below the MRLs (20-100 microg kg(-1)) set by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the WHO. EDIs of the tested pesticides ranged from 0.02% to 162.07% of the acceptable daily intakes (ADIs). Population exposure levels of dieldrin and heptachlor epoxide were higher than the FAO/WHO standards. A comprehensive national monitoring programme on organochlorine pesticides should be undertaken to include such other relevant sources like meat, fish, eggs and milk.
Some common organochlorine, organophosphorus and pyrethroid insecticides were analysed in agricultural soil samples (n = 35) and surface water and groundwater samples (n = 25) collected from coastal areas of vegetable production in Togo. Analytical methods included solvent extraction of the insecticide residues and their subsequent quantification using GC-ECD. δ-HCH, heptachlor epoxide, 4,4-DDE, endosulphan (α, β and sulphate), lambda-cyalothrin and chlorpyrifos were found in the soil samples with concentrations that varied from non-detectable (ND) to 26.93 μg kg(-1) dry weight. For water samples, heptachlor epoxide, 2,4-DDD, 4,4-DDD, 4,4-DDE and endosulphan (α, β, and sulphate) were found at contamination levels that varied from ND to 0.116 μg L(-1). The concentration of insecticide residues detected in the water samples was below the limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and also by the European Union (EU), with the exception of the concentration of endosulphan sulphate at the Aného site, which was 0.116 μg L(-1).
Région des Plateaux in Togo is the highest producer of cash crops (coffee, cocoa, cotton) as well as vegetables. This region is the area with the supreme use of chemical pesticides to enhance agricultural production in Togo (west Africa). As effective as these chemicals may be in achieving this goal, the incidence of their residues on the environment, together with the associated adverse effects, have been of serious concerns. The objective of this study is to assess soils contamination by organochlorine pesticides in vegetable production areas within this region. Fifty-four soil samples were randomly collected from selected farmers' plots within six villages. The analytical methods included solvent extraction of pesticide residues and their subsequent quantification using gas chromatography -electron capture detector (GC-ECD). Twenty one different organochlorine pesticides were analyzed. The analytical results showed that only aldrin, endosulfan (α-, β-and sulfate), and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCH) isomers, including α-HCH, β-HCH, δ-HCH and γ-HCH were detected in various concentrations. The residuals of aldrin varied from detection limit (DL) (< 0.001 µg/kg) to 0.93 ± 0.03 µg/kg, the concentrations of α-endosulfan from DL to 1.88 ± 0.41 µg/kg, β-endosulfan from DL to 0.4 ± 0.01 µg/kg and endosulfan sulfate from DL to 3.87 ± 0.19 µg/kg. On the other hand the concentration of each isomer of HCH ranged from DL to 0.89 ± 0.07 µg/kg (α-HCH), 14.6 ± 0.12 µg/kg (β-HCH), 4.27 ± 0.61 µg/kg (γ-HCH) and 2.92 ± 0.05 µg/kg (δ-HCH). The pesticide residue concentrations found in the studied soils were highly below maximum residue limits varying from 100 to 8000 µg/kg set by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The detected pesticide residues reflected the type of pesticides that have been used in the study areas. The differences in the concentrations of these pesticide residues in the soil samples are likely the result of substantial inter-farm variation in intensive use of pesticide as well as the variation in their degradation dynamics. The findings of this study provide information on residue levels of organochlorine pesticides in soils from "Région des Plateaux" in Togo. Routine monitoring of pesticide residues in these study areas is necessary for the prevention, control and reduction of environmental pollution, leading to minimize health risks.Palabras clave: oeste de África, producción vegetal, contaminaciónRev. Int. Contam. Ambie. 33 (Especial Biotecnología e ingeniería ambiental) 33-42, 2017 DOI: 10.20937/RICA.2017.33.esp01.03 L. Kolani et al. 34 RESUMENLa región "des Plateaux" en Togo es una de las más grandes productoras de cultivos comercials (café, cocoa, algodón), así como también de verduras. Esta región es el área con el mayor uso de pesticidas químicos para mejorar la producción de la agricultura en Togo (oeste de África). Así como son de efectivos estos químicos, la incidencia de sus residuos en el ambiente también lo es, al igual que los efectos adversos asociados a ellos, ...
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