Browsing by Author "O., Akoto"
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- ItemConcentrations and Health Risk Assessments of Heavy Metals in Fish from the Fosu Lagoon(INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH (IJER), 2014-01-01) O., Akoto; F., Bismark Eshun; G., Darko; E., AdeiConcentrations of Cu, Pb, Cr, Cd, Mn, Ni, Fe and Zn were determined in the muscle samples of Sarotherodon melanotheron from the Fosu Lagoon in Cape Coast using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The results showed that, metal concentration in the fish muscle was in the order Mn > Zn > Fe > Pb > Ni > Cd > Cu > Cr. Mean concentrations of Pb and Cd in the fish exceeded the maximum tolerable limit set by the European Union. Although the mean concentrations of some metals exceeded this limit, their estimated daily intakes were below their oral reference dose recommended by the international regulatory bodies. Health risk assessment of consumers from the intake of metal contaminated in the muscle of S. melanotheron from the lagoon was evaluated by using Health Risk Index (HRI) calculations. In this study, the total HRI through consumption of fish calculated by adding the individual HRIs was less than 1, indicating that there is no significant potential health risk associated with the consumption of fish from the Fosu Lagoon.
- ItemHealth risk assessment of pesticides residues in maize and cowpea from Ejura, Ghana(BioMed Central, 2013) G., Darko; O., Akoto; H., AndohExposure of the general populace to pesticides could be high in Ghana where staple foods such as maize and cowpea are regularly sprayed to protect them against insect pests. Significant contamination of maize and cowpea has been reported in some neighbouring countries (Gwary et al. 2011; Ogah et al. 2011). However, there is no quantitative information on the levels of pesticide residues and associated health risks based on the exposure of the population through maize and cowpea consumption. This work provides baseline information on contamination levels of pesticides in maize and cowpea from Ejura, the largest maize production district in Ghana. It assesses the human health risk through estimated average daily intakes (EADIs) as compared with acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) set by FAO/WHO (2010).