An analysis of heavy metals contamination and estimating the daily intakes of vegetables from Uganda

dc.contributor.authorKeneth Iceland, Kasozi
dc.contributor.authorEric Oloya, Otim
dc.contributor.authorHerbert Izo, Ninsiima
dc.contributor.authorGerald, Zirintunda
dc.contributor.authorAndrew, Tamale
dc.contributor.authorJustin, Ekou
dc.contributor.authorGrace Henry, Musoke
dc.contributor.authorRobert, Muyinda
dc.contributor.authorKevin, Matama
dc.contributor.authorRegan, Mujinya
dc.contributor.authorHenry, Matovu
dc.contributor.authorFred, Ssempijja
dc.contributor.authorEjike, Daniel Eze
dc.contributor.authorMauryn, Atino
dc.contributor.authorBede, Udechukwu
dc.contributor.authorRonald, Kayima
dc.contributor.authorPatrick, Etiang
dc.contributor.authorEmmanuel Tiyo, Ayikobua
dc.contributor.authorStellamaris, Kembabazi
dc.contributor.authorIbe Michael, Usman
dc.contributor.authorSheu Oluwadare, Sulaiman
dc.contributor.authorPhyllis Candy, Natabo
dc.contributor.authorGrace Nambatya, Kyeyune
dc.contributor.authorGaber El-Saber, Batiha
dc.contributor.authorOchan, Otim
dc.date.accessioned2023-02-22T11:59:06Z
dc.date.available2023-02-22T11:59:06Z
dc.date.issued2021
dc.description.abstractEnvironmental contamination with elevated levels of copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr 6þ), cadmium (Cd), and nickel (Ni)—all states of which are found in Uganda—raises health risk to the public. Pb, Cr 6þ, Cd, and Ni for instance are generally considered nonessential to cellular functions, notwithstanding the importance of the oxidative state of the metals in bioavailability. As such, we aimed in this study (i) to evaluate heavy metal concentrations in four vegetables from a typical open-air market in Uganda, (ii) to assess the safety of consuming these vegetables against the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended limits of heavy metals consumption, and (iii) to formulate a model of estimated daily intake (EDI) among consumers in the country. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in five georeferenced markets of Bushenyi district in January 2020. Amaranthus, cabbages, scarlet eggplants, and tomatoes were collected from open markets, processed, and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry. Modeled EDI, principal component (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) were conducted to identify relationships in the samples. Results: The levels of essential elements in the four vegetables were found to fall from Co > Cu > Fe > Zn. Those of non-essential metals were significantly higher and followed the pattern Cd > Cr > Pb > Ni. The highest EDI values were those of Cu in scarlet eggplants, Zn in amaranthus, Fe in amaranthus, Co in amaranthus, Pb in cabbages, total Cr in scarlet eggplant, Cd in cabbages and tomatoes, and Ni in cabbages. In comparison to international limits, EDIs for Zn, Cu, Co and Fe were low while Ni in cabbages were high. PCA showed high variations in scarlet eggplant and amaranthus. The study vegetables were found to be related with each other, not according to the location of the markets from where they were obtained, but according to their species by CA. Conclusion: The presence of non-essential elements above WHO limits raises policy challenges for the consumption and marketing of vegetables in the study area. Furthermore, low EDIs of essential elements in the vegetables create demand for nutritious foods to promote healthy communitiesen_US
dc.description.sponsorshipKabale Universityen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12493/1032
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherToxicology Research and Applicationen_US
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/*
dc.titleAn analysis of heavy metals contamination and estimating the daily intakes of vegetables from Ugandaen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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