Assessment of pops contaminated sites and the need for stringent soil standards for food safety for the protection of human health

Weber, Roland; Bell, Lee; Watson, Alan; Petrlik, Jindrich; Păun, Mihaela Claudia; Vijgen, John

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2019.03.066

Cited by 92 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…Since there is no effective solid waste sorting systems; mixed wastes including plastics end up in dumpsites where they are set on fire. These open burning methods result in the release of hazardous substances into the environment as a result of the plasticizers and flame retardants used in the plastics and contaminate air and soils and food [58,60,65,66].…”

Section: Environmental Pollution and Human Health Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ensuring sustainability in plastics use in Africa: consumption, waste generation, and projections

et al. 2019

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Background: Currently, plastic is at the top of the international agenda for waste management. Recent meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel and the Stockholm Conventions have expressed concerns over the impact of plastic waste, marine plastic litter, and microplastics, and emphasised the importance of reducing consumption and ensuring the environmentally sound management of waste plastics. This study presents the first continental historical analysis of mass importation and consumption of different polymers and plastics (primary and secondary forms, respectively) in Africa and the associated pollution potential. We identified, collated and synthesised dispersed international trade data on the importation of polymers and plastics into several African countries. Results: The 33 African countries (total population of 856,671,366) with available data for more than 10 years imported approximately 86.14 Mt of polymers in primary form and 31.5 Mt of plastic products between 1990 and 2017. Extrapolating to the continental level (African population of 1.216 billion in 54 countries), about 172 Mt of polymers and plastics valued at $285 billion were imported between 1990 and 2017. Considering also the components of products, an estimated 230 Mt of plastics entered Africa during that time period, with the largest share going to Egypt (43 Mt, 18.7%), Nigeria (39 Mt, 17.0%), South Africa (27 Mt, 11.7%), Algeria (26 Mt, 11.3%), Morocco (22 Mt, 9.6%), and Tunisia (16 Mt, 7.0%). Additionally, primary plastic production in 8 African countries contributed 15 Mt during 2009-2015. The assessment showed that environmentally sound end-of-life management of waste plastics by recycling and energy recovery is in its infancy in Africa, but recycling activities and thermal recovery have started in a few countries. Conclusions: Globally, the perception is that production and consumption of plastics can only increase in the future. Solutions are needed to tackle this global challenge. Certain policies and plastic bag bans could help reduce plastic consumption in the near future, as demonstrated by Rwanda. Furthermore, there is a need for innovative solutions such as the introduction of biodegradable polymers and other alternatives, especially for packaging.

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Section: Environmental Pollution and Human Health Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ensuring sustainability in plastics use in Africa: consumption, waste generation, and projections

et al. 2019

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“…Consequently, many studies propose the organic pollutant degradation mechanism pathways (such as photocatalytic degradation) and the remediation efficiency of multi-element contaminated soil in order to reduce exposure, guarantee food safety and protection of human health (e.g. Venny et al, 2012 ; Ye et al, 2020 , Ye et al, 2019a , Ye et al, 2019b ; Weber et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occurrence of organic micropollutants and human health risk assessment based on consumption of Amaranthus viridis, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ngweme

Salah

Laffite

et al. 2021

Science of The Total Environment

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The contamination of water resource and food chain by persistent organic pollutants (POPs) constitutes a major environmental and human health concern worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the levels of POPs in irrigation water, soil and in Amaranthus viridis ( A. viridis ) from different gardening sites in Kinshasa to evaluate the potential environmental and human health risks. A survey study for the use of pesticides and fertilizers was carried out with 740 market gardeners. The levels of POPs (including organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)) were analyzed in irrigation water and 144 vegetable samples collected from different gardening sites. The assessment of potential human health risk was estimated by calculating daily intake and toxic equivalency to quantify the carcinogenicity. The results show highest PAH levels in A. viridis from all studied sites. The concentrations of the sum of seven PCBs (Σ7PCB S ) congeners in analyzed plants ranged between 15.89 and 401.36 ng g −1 . The distributions of OCPs in both water and A. viridis were congener specific, chlorpyrifos-ethyl and p,p′-DDE were predominantly detected. Among PBDEs, only BDE47 was quantified with noticeable concentration in A. viridis , while no PBDEs were detected in irrigation water. Higher estimated daily intake values indicate that consuming leafy vegetables might associate with increased human health risks. However, calculated incremental lifetime cancer risk values indicates no potential carcinogenic risk for the local population. The results of this study provide important information on A. viridis contamination by POPs and strongly recommend implementing the appropriate measures to control the use of chemicals used in studied gardening areas. Thus in Kinshasa, urban agriculture control programs for POPs and fertilizers is very important in order to protect the public health through direct and dietary exposure pathways.

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“…Semi-persistent and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) constitute a large group of compounds that has been widely studied due to their controversial properties. POPs are characterized by their toxicity, resistance to degradation, ability to be transported over long distances, lipophilicity, and tendency to bioaccumulate and biomagnify along the food chain [ 1 ]. In this group are compounds of very different nature and usage: industrial applications, i.e., polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs); pest control, i.e., organochlorine pesticides (OCPs); or as by-products emitted during the incomplete combustion of organic materials, especially in anthropogenic activities, i.e., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) [ 2 , 3 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation of a Method Scope Extension for the Analysis of POPs in Soil and Verification in Organic and Conventional Farms of the Canary Islands

Acosta-Dacal

Rial-Berriel

Díaz-Díaz

et al. 2021

Toxics

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Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are among the most relevant and dangerous contaminants in soil, from where they can be transferred to crops. Additionally, livestock animals may inadvertently consume relatively high amounts of soil attached to the roots of the vegetables while grazing, leading to indirect exposure to humans. Therefore, periodic monitoring of soils is crucial; thus, simple, robust, and powerful methods are needed. In this study, we have tested and validated an easy QuEChERS-based method for the extraction of 49 POPs (8 PBDEs, 12 OCPs, 11 PAHs, and 18 PCBs) in soils and their analysis by GC-MS/MS. The method was validated in terms of linearity, precision, and accuracy, and a matrix effect study was performed. The limits of detection (LOD) were established between 0.048 and 3.125 ng g−1 and the limits of quantification (LOQ) were between 0.5 and 20 ng g−1, except for naphthalene (50 ng g−1). Then, to verify the applicability of the validated method, we applied it to a series of 81 soil samples from farms dedicated to mixed vegetable cultivation and vineyards in the Canary Islands, both from two modes of production (organic vs. conventional) where residues of OCPs, PCBs, and PAHs were found.

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Assessment of pops contaminated sites and the need for stringent soil standards for food safety for the protection of human health

Cited by 92 publications

References 71 publications

Ensuring sustainability in plastics use in Africa: consumption, waste generation, and projections

Ensuring sustainability in plastics use in Africa: consumption, waste generation, and projections

Occurrence of organic micropollutants and human health risk assessment based on consumption of Amaranthus viridis, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Validation of a Method Scope Extension for the Analysis of POPs in Soil and Verification in Organic and Conventional Farms of the Canary Islands

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