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Persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals in Ghanaian environment: a systematic review of food safety implications

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Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Authors:
Prosper MANU Abdulai at Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED)
Prosper MANU Abdulai
  • Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED)
Kabari Sam at University of Portsmouth
Kabari Sam
Amarachi Paschaline Onyena at Nigeria Maritime University Okerenkoko
Amarachi Paschaline Onyena
  • Nigeria Maritime University Okerenkoko
Anthoneth Ndidi Ezejiofor
Anthoneth Ndidi Ezejiofor
Anthoneth Ndidi Ezejiofor
  • This person is not on ResearchGate, or hasn't claimed this research yet.
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Advances in industrial and technological innovations have led to significant socio-economic benefits, but with overwhelming negative impacts on the environment. These impacts include the infiltration of organic contaminants into soil, water, and air, posing a threat to the environment and public health. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are increasingly released as waste, endangering the environment. In countries like Ghana, where regulations are weakly enforced, industrial waste is released uncontrollably, posing threats to public health, environmental integrity, and food systems. This study systematically evaluated existing literature on PBDEs, heavy metals, PAHs, and organic contaminant exposure in Ghana and proposes a roadmap for achieving food safety and protecting the environment and human health. The research identified high mobility of specific heavy metals and risks associated with PBDEs and PAHs in sediments, dumpsites, and various food items. Unregulated dumping of electronic waste with PBDEs raised environmental concerns. An integrated approach is needed to address the multifaceted impact of organic pollutants on public health and ecosystems. Urgent implementation of effective environmental management strategies and regulatory measures is crucial. The study proposed short- to mid-term priorities emphasising the need to foster collaboration and implementing global measures. The mid- to long-term strategy includes a national information surveillance system, local monitoring capacity development, and integrating land contamination controls with food safety legislation. These measures would mitigate risks, ensure sustainable practices, and improve overall food safety management in Ghana, serving as a model for regions facing similar challenges with diverse pollutants.
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Vol.: (0123456789)
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Environ Monit Assess (2024) 196:376
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-024-12500-w
REVIEW
Persistent organic pollutants andheavy metals inGhanaian
environment: asystematic review offood safety implications
ProsperManuAbdulai· KabariSam· AmarachiPaschalineOnyena· AnthonethNdidiEzejiofor·
ChiaraFrazzoli· OsazuwaClintonEkhator· GodswillJ.Udom· CalebKesseFrimpong· JeromeNriagu·
OrishEbereOrisakwe
Received: 28 November 2023 / Accepted: 24 February 2024 / Published online: 16 March 2024
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024
Abstract Advances in industrial and technological
innovations have led to significant socio-economic
benefits, but with overwhelming negative impacts
on the environment. These impacts include the infil-
tration of organic contaminants into soil, water, and
air, posing a threat to the environment and public
health. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs),
heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs) are increasingly released as waste, endanger-
ing the environment. In countries like Ghana, where
regulations are weakly enforced, industrial waste
is released uncontrollably, posing threats to public
health, environmental integrity, and food systems.
This study systematically evaluated existing literature
on PBDEs, heavy metals, PAHs, and organic con-
taminant exposure in Ghana and proposes a roadmap
for achieving food safety and protecting the environ-
ment and human health. The research identified high
mobility of specific heavy metals and risks associated
with PBDEs and PAHs in sediments, dumpsites, and
various food items. Unregulated dumping of elec-
tronic waste with PBDEs raised environmental con-
cerns. An integrated approach is needed to address
the multifaceted impact of organic pollutants on pub-
lic health and ecosystems. Urgent implementation
of effective environmental management strategies
P.M.Abdulai· A.N.Ezejiofor· O.E.Orisakwe(*)
African Centre ofExcellence forPublic Health
andToxicological Research (ACE-PUTOR), University
ofPort Harcourt, PMB, PortHarcourt,Choba5323,
Nigeria
e-mail: orishebere@gmail.com; orish.orisakwe@uniport.
edu.ng
K.Sam· A.P.Onyena
Department ofMarine Environment andPollution Control,
Nigeria Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Nigeria
K.Sam
School oftheEnvironment, Geography andGeoscience,
University ofPortsmouth, University House, Winston
Churchill Ave, PortsmouthPO12UP, UK
C.Frazzoli
Department forCardiovascular, Endocrine-Metabolic
Diseases, andAging, Istituto Superiore Di Sanità, Rome,
Italy
O.C.Ekhator
Department ofScience Laboratory Technology, Faculty
ofScience, University ofBenin, BeninCity, Nigeria
G.J.Udom
Department ofPharmacology andToxicology, Federal
University Oye-Ekiti, Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria
C.K.Frimpong
Department ofBiochemistry andBiotechnology, Kwame
Nkrumah University ofScience andTechnology, Kumasi,
Ghana
J.Nriagu
Department ofEnvironmental Health Sciences, School
ofPublic Health, University ofMichigan, AnnArbor, MI,
USA
O.E.Orisakwe
Advanced Research Centre, European University ofLefke,
Lefke,NorthernCyprus, TR-10Mersin, Turkey
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
... Heavy metal contamination has been demonstrated to be pervasive across nations and has been detected in nearly every food category from grain to meat-products, with vegetable and cereal products most affected by industrial and environmental sources of contamination (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16). Pb, Cd, As and Hg are typically evaluated for contamination as they represent the most common health threats to consumers (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23). National initiatives, including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Closer to Zero Program (C2Z), have been implemented and aim to reduce the net level of contamination in foods, especially those consumed by sensitive groups such as toddlers and expectant mothers, to the lowest possible level while maintaining access to nutritious foods (24). ...
... Though the results of this analysis suggest that the overall consumer market may be, on average, without biologically significant contamination as individual servings, the presence of outliers as well as the potential additive exposure through other foods, such as teas and spices, is potentially problematic (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)47). More interesting was the observation that "organic" products were significantly more likely to demonstrate higher levels of both Cd and Pb. ...
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