Despite the fact that several cases of unsafe pesticide use among farmers in different parts of Africa have been documented, there is limited evidence regarding which specific interventions are effective in reducing pesticide exposure and associated risks to human health and ecology. The overall goal of the African Pesticide Intervention Project (APsent) study is to better understand ongoing research and public health activities related to interventions in Africa through the implementation of suitable target-specific situations or use contexts. A systematic review of the scientific literature on pesticide intervention studies with a focus on Africa was conducted. This was followed by a qualitative survey among stakeholders involved in pesticide research or management in the African region to learn about barriers to and promoters of successful interventions. The project was concluded with an international workshop in November 2021, where a broad range of topics relevant to occupational and environmental health risks were discussed such as acute poisoning, street pesticides, switching to alternatives, or disposal of empty pesticide containers. Key areas of improvement identified were training on pesticide usage techniques, research on the effectiveness of interventions targeted at exposure reduction and/or behavioral changes, awareness raising, implementation of adequate policies, and enforcement of regulations and processes.

This study examined the levels of some heavy metals in soils of Oke-Ere mining area in Yagba West, Kogi State, Nigeria, aim at ascertaining the degree of pollution, and risk pose to the environment, and human health to the residents in the area. A total of 48 soil samples were analysed by using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The mean concentrations (mg/kg) were As(1.92), Cd(< 0.004), Co(29.8), Cr(117), Mo(4.00), Ni(51.4), Pb(24.1), Sc(17.8), Sn(21.9), and Zn(85.8). Principal component analysis revealed significant anthropogenic contributions of Sc, Cr, Ni, and As in soils. Geochemical assessment evaluated based on models of geochemical load index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (C_f) and pollution load index (PLI), revealed that the soils were highly polluted by Sc, moderately polluted by Sn and non-polluted to slightly polluted by other metals. Enrichment factor shows significant enrichment by Sc, while Cr, Pb, Co, Mo and Sn were moderately enriched. The contamination factor indicated low contamination for most of the studied metals except Cu and Co which recorded considerable contamination. The values of pollution load index PLI > 1, signifies that the mining activities deteriorated soil quality. The total hazard index (HI) of the metals for adult and children, indicates HI < 1 which connotes a non-carcinogenic health risk effect. The cancer risk (CR) value for ingestion and dermal exposure pathways was higher than the permissible limits (1 x 10⁻⁶ to 1 × 10⁻⁴), which indicated adverse health risk to the local resident. This study suggested adequate attention be directed to detailed risk assessment of heavy metals in the study area.

Medicinal plants have played an undeniable role in treating diseases in mankind. However, these plants may be contaminated by toxic substances like heavy metals. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the contamination and health risks (carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic) of heavy metals in economically important medicinal plants mostly in Northern Nigeria. A total of 72 samples from 12 medical plants were purchased and analyzed for heavy metal (Pb, Cr, As, Cd, Zn, Cu, Ni and Fe) contamination using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) after wet digestion. The concentrations of the heavy metals (mg·kg⁻¹) were in the range of 1.71–9.01 for Pb, 0.23–2.08 for Cr, 0.00–0.05 for As, 0.00–0.51 for Cd, 5.08–23.67 for Zn, 1.28–13.45 for Cu, 0.96–1.95 for Ni and 20.58–108.50 for Fe. The results revealed that the plant under study contained unsafe levels of Cr and Cd being higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) permissible limits. The hazard index (HI) was < 1, suggesting a probable non-carcinogenic effect. Similarly, the cancer risk (CR) for children and adults was below the (1.0 × 10^–4) acceptable limit, indicating non-probable cancer development for consumers. Based on the studied results, the samples may not pose a carcinogenic health risk. However, there is a need for the regulatory agency to continuously monitor medicine plants available in the markets for the safety of consumers.

The study determined the content of pesticide residues in vegetables (cabbage, lettuce, calyces, and tiger nut), obtained from markets in Gombe, Nigeria. Health risk parameters were also determined to evaluate the health risk associated with their consumption. A total of 72 samples (cabbage, lettuce, calyces and tiger nut) were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography with UV/VIS Detector (HPLC-UV/VIS). A total of 18 pesticide residues were detected: nine organochlorines (OCs), five organophosphates (OPs), and four pyrethroids (PYs). The residual contents of nine OCs ranged from 0.00 to 0.098 μg/kg and found in 61.87%, 60.99%, 63.69%, and 63.89% of cabbage, lettuce, calyces and tiger nut samples respectively, five OPs with concentrations ranging from 0.00 to 0.043 μg/kg were found in 22.69%, 21.89%, 19.49% and 22.21% of cabbage, lettuce, calyces and tiger nut samples respectively. In similar order, four PYs with concentrations that ranged from 0.00 to 0.046 μg/kg were found in 15.44%, 17.04%, 16.82% and 13.89% of the vegetables. Themean estimated daily intake of pesticides in the studied samples was lower than that of acceptable daily intakes. The hazard index obtained was less than one, indicating no probable adverse health effect on both children and adult consumers. However, monitoring and continuous stringent regulation should be imposed with regard to the usage of pesticides in vegetables, and other food stuff for public health protection. Keywords: Hazard Index, Health risk, Nut, Pesticide residues, Vegetables

Cement plants are the major anthropogenic sources of potentially toxic elements (PTEs), which are generated from the processing of raw materials and combustion of fossil fuels. This study determined the PTE concentration and assessed the geochemical, ecological, and health risks associated with the activities in the Ashaka cement plant, Bajoga, Nigeria. Soil samples were collected between 2019 and 2020, and analyzed by ICP-OES for 20 PTEs. The data obtained were statistically evaluated for descriptive and inferential statistics. The mean concentrations of PTEs were in the declined order of Al > Fe > Mn > Zn > Ti > Ba > Sr > Pb > Cu > V > Cr > Ni > As > Sc > Mo > Hg > Cd > Se > Sb > Co. Multivariate analysis revealed that the main sources of PTEs might be related to anthropogenic activities from the cement plant. The geochemical load index (GLI) values obtained range from unpolluted to moderate. The ecological risk ranged from 4.74 × 10^–3 to 8.00 × 10⁰, and the overall risk index indicated low contamination for the investigated elements. The hazard index (HI) was < 1, suggesting non-probable non-carcinogenic effects. However, children were more susceptible to risk than adults, and the cancer risk (CR) values of Cd for children and adults were higher than the threshold level of 1.0 × 10^–4, which suggests probable development of cancer risk for residents.