Pesticide Residue Contamination of Some Cereals and their Consequential Health Implication in the Food Chain of Taraba Northern Geo-political Region, Taraba State

Aim: To investigate the Pesticide Residues (PRs) contamination of some cereals and determine their health risks in the food chain of Taraba North Geo-political region.

Study Design: Maize, Millet, Rice and Sorghum, and their soils were randomly collected from farmers’ field in three (3) LGAs of Taraba North.

Place and Duration of Study: The samples were collected from Ardo-kola, Karim-lamido and Zing LGAs of Taraba State. They are processed at Laboratories of Biological Sciences Department of Taraba State University and Analyzed at the Department of Chemistry, Yobe State University, Damaturu, Yobe State, between September, 2021 – March, 2022.

Methodology: Soils and ripe cereals stalks were collected applying the principles of randomization. These samples were processed, pulverized into powdered form, and analyzed for pesticide residues (PR) using the Gas Chromatograph - Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS).

Results: Ten (10) pesticide residues in different concentrations were recorded, with some of them occurring above the permissible limits. Isopropylamine accounted for 21% of total contaminants' concentrations, followed by carbofuran (14%), dichlorvos (12%), t-nonachlor (11%), heptachlor (10%), HCB and g-chlordane all at 9%, DDT (7%), Endosulfan (6%), and Aldrin at 1%. Health implications showed that some of the cereals are unsafe for consumption. In Ardo-Kola and Zing, only millet had a Hazard Index (HI) of less than 1, while in Karim-Lamido, millet and sorghum recorded HI ≤ 1. In Ardo-Kola trend in HI values in adullts was rice (53.32) ˃ sorghum (24.35), ˃ maize (10.99), ˃ millet (0.82), while in children, the trend was rice (64.50), ˃ sorghum (24.71), ˃ maize (10.65), ˃ millet (0.90). In Karim-Lamido, HI values in adults were in the following order: rice (54.64) ˃ maize (38.44), ˃ millet (0.62), ˃ sorghum (0.35). At the same time, HI in children followed the order; rice (66.10) ˃ maize (46.50), ˃ sorghum (0.74), ˃ millet (0.73). In Zing, HI values were in descending order of rice (32.20) ˃ sorghum (12.27) ˃ maize (8.27) ˃ millet (0.47), in adults, and rice (38.97) ˃ sorghum (14.86) ˃ maize (9.99) ˃ millet (0.55), in children. Overall, children are at a higher risk of toxicity than adults.

Conclusion: It was deduced at the end of the study that pesticides residue are bioaccumulating in the food chain due to excessive use in many agricultural phases. Hence we recommended intensified efforts in check-mating these products in our agricultural systems.