Dietary risk assessment of drinking water and fish from cultivated wetlands of Ndop

Abstract

This study evaluated pesticide exposure practices, and the potential health risks of drinking water and consuming fish from the cultivated wetlands of Ndop, Cameroon. Six hundred and twenty-six questionnaires were conveniently administered to farmers (≥ 26 years old) in a cross-sectional study to assess exposure practices and dietary risks. The Chi-square and Pearson correlation coefficients were used to establish relationships between variables. The PRIMET model was used to predict a worst-case dietary risk. The pesticide handling practices of 90% of farmers were inadequate. Chlorpyriphos, lambda-cyhalothrin, fipronil, and paraquat dichloride posed a possible dietary risk at recommended and applied doses, with chlorpyrifos having the highest exposure toxicity ratio (ETRdiet = 36.72). Paraquat dichloride, fipronil, and lambda-cyhalothrin posed a possible dietary risk at 26.3%, 58.3%, and 62.2% of their recommended concentrations, respectively. Remarkably, the dietary risk for cypermethrin was acceptable at 5.8 times its recommended dose (ETRdietR = 0.29). The significant positive correlation (p = 0.000) between PECfish and ETRdiet, suggests a possible health risk of consuming fish and drinking water harvested from the wetlands, thus the need for replacing pesticides posing possible risks at lower or recommended concentrations with less toxic alternatives and to train farmers on pesticide application practices. HIGHLIGHTS Most developing countries do not include dietary risk assessment in the pesticide authorization process because it is expensive.; The PRIMET model uses unsophisticated equipment to establish dietary risk in a worst-case scenario.; Many studies have explored the model to assess risk to aquatic life, terrestrial life, non-target organisms, and bees.; Limited data exist on its use in dietary risk assessment, and this research seeks to explore this.;

Keywords

• cypermethrin
• exposure toxicity ratio
• primet model
• recommended doses
• worst-case scenario