Dietary acrylamide-linked burden of cancers in four sub-sahara African countries: A review and data synthesis

Acrylamide (AA) is a food processing byproduct that forms at high temperatures and is classified as a probable human carcinogen. Previous studies have linked AA to kidney, uterus, and ovary cancer burdens, but its study in African countries remains underexplored. This study systematically used six recent articles on dietary AA concentration data from scholarly databases using specific search terms. We also collected health metrics secondary data from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation and other sources for the period 2015-2019. We used a Monte-Carlo simulation to integrate the dietary AA exposure, risks, and health metrics to estimate the cancer burdens. The results showed that the modal healthy life years lost ranged from 0.00488 (Ghana) to 0.218 (Ethiopia) per 100,000 population. The median statistic indicated 1.2 and 26.10 healthy life years lost for Ghana and Ethiopia, respectively, due to the three cancer types. The four-country study areas' total disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were 63.7 healthy life-year losses. Despite the limitations of the non-standardized age-related food consumption data and the few inclusive articles, the probabilistic approach may account for the uncertainties and provide valid conclusions.

Microplastics-sorbed phenanthrene and its derivatives are highly bioaccessible and may induce human cancer risks

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in environmental media and human diets and can enrich organic contaminants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives. The bioaccessibilities and triggering cancer risks of MP-sorbed PAHs and PAH derivatives are closely linked with human health, which, however, were rarely focused on. This study explored the sorption behaviors of phenanthrene (PHE) and PHE derivatives on polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) MPs, and assessed their bioaccessibilities in gastrointestinal fluids as well as their inducing human cancer risks. PE MPs harbored the highest sorption capacity, secondly the PP MPs, then the PS ones. Sorption of PHE and PHE derivatives on MPs was positively correlated with their hydrophobicities. The bioaccessibilities of sorbed PHE and PHE derivatives could reach 53.59 %±0.46 %-90.28 %±0.92 % in gastrointestinal fluids and 81.34 %±0.77 %-98.72 %±1.44 % in gastrointestinal fluids with the addition of Tenax (more close to the bioavailability). The hydrophobicities also controlled the bioaccessibilities of PHE and PHE derivatives in gastric fluids, and those in intestinal fluids with Tenax for PS MPs. The incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) values for PHE, PHE-Cl, and PHE-NO2 on MPs at tested concentrations were all higher than the USEPA-suggested safety limit (10-6), and most of them were even higher than 10-4, which thus indicates serious cancer risks. This study promoted our understanding of the potential health threats posed by organic pollutant-bearing MPs in the environment.