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Ngweme GN, Al Salah DMM, Laffite A, Sivalingam P, Grandjean D, Konde JN, Mulaji CK, Breider F, Poté J. Occurrence of organic micropollutants and human health risk assessment based on consumption of Amaranthus viridis, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sci Total Environ 2021; 754:142175. [PMID: 32920409 PMCID: PMC7467084 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The contamination of water resource and food chain by persistent organic pollutants (POPs) constitutes a major environmental and human health concern worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the levels of POPs in irrigation water, soil and in Amaranthus viridis (A. viridis) from different gardening sites in Kinshasa to evaluate the potential environmental and human health risks. A survey study for the use of pesticides and fertilizers was carried out with 740 market gardeners. The levels of POPs (including organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)) were analyzed in irrigation water and 144 vegetable samples collected from different gardening sites. The assessment of potential human health risk was estimated by calculating daily intake and toxic equivalency to quantify the carcinogenicity. The results show highest PAH levels in A. viridis from all studied sites. The concentrations of the sum of seven PCBs (Σ7PCBS) congeners in analyzed plants ranged between 15.89 and 401.36 ng g-1. The distributions of OCPs in both water and A. viridis were congener specific, chlorpyrifos-ethyl and p,p'-DDE were predominantly detected. Among PBDEs, only BDE47 was quantified with noticeable concentration in A. viridis, while no PBDEs were detected in irrigation water. Higher estimated daily intake values indicate that consuming leafy vegetables might associate with increased human health risks. However, calculated incremental lifetime cancer risk values indicates no potential carcinogenic risk for the local population. The results of this study provide important information on A. viridis contamination by POPs and strongly recommend implementing the appropriate measures to control the use of chemicals used in studied gardening areas. Thus in Kinshasa, urban agriculture control programs for POPs and fertilizers is very important in order to protect the public health through direct and dietary exposure pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgette N Ngweme
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Po.Box 11850, Kinshasa XI, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Dhafer Mohammed M Al Salah
- Department F.-A. Forel for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences, and Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Geneva, 66 Boulevard Carl-Vogt, CH-1205 Geneva, Switzerland; King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Joint Centers of Excellence Program, Prince Turki the 1st st, Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia
| | - Amandine Laffite
- Department F.-A. Forel for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences, and Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Geneva, 66 Boulevard Carl-Vogt, CH-1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Periyasamy Sivalingam
- Postgraduate and Research Department of Microbiology, Jamal Mohamed College, Tiruchirappalli 620020, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Dominique Grandjean
- Central Environmental Laboratory (GR-CEL), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Joel N Konde
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Po.Box 11850, Kinshasa XI, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Crispin K Mulaji
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN), Po.Box 190, Kinshasa XI, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Florian Breider
- Central Environmental Laboratory (GR-CEL), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - John Poté
- Department F.-A. Forel for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences, and Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Geneva, 66 Boulevard Carl-Vogt, CH-1205 Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN), Po.Box 190, Kinshasa XI, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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Al Salah DMM, Ngweme GN, Laffite A, Otamonga JP, Mulaji C, Poté J. Hospital wastewaters: A reservoir and source of clinically relevant bacteria and antibiotic resistant genes dissemination in urban river under tropical conditions. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2020; 200:110767. [PMID: 32470679 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.110767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Revised: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
The occurrence and dissemination of antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) that are associated with clinical pathogens and the evaluation of associated risks are still under-investigated in developing countries under tropical conditions. In this context, cultivable and molecular approaches were performed to assess the dissemination of bacteria and the antibiotic resistance genes in aquatic environment in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Cultivable approach quantified β-lactam, carbapenem resistant, and total Escherichia coli and Enterobacteriaceae in river sediments and surface waters that receive raw hospital effluents. The molecular approach utilized Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) to quantify the total bacteria and the richness of relevant bacteria (Escherichia coli, Enterococcus, and Pseudomonas), and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs: blaOXA-48, blaCTX-M, blaIMP, blaTEM) in sediment samples. Statistical analysis were employed to highlight the significance of hospital contribution and seasonal variation of bacteria and ARGs into aquatic ecosystems in suburban municipalities of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The contribution of hospitals to antibiotic resistance proliferation is higher in the dry season than during the wet season (p < 0.05). Hospital similarly contributed Escherichia coli, Enterococcus, and Pseudomonas and ARGs significantly to the sediments in both seasons (p < 0.05). The organic matter content correlated positively with E. coli (r = 0.50, p < 0.05). The total bacterial load correlated with Enterococcus, and Pseudomonas (0.49 < r < 0.69, p < 0.05). Each ARG correlated with the total bacterial load or at least one relevant bacteria (0.41 < r < 0.81, p < 0.05). Our findings confirm that hospital wastewaters contributed significantly to antibiotic resistance profile and the significance of this contribution increased in the dry season. Moreover, our analysis highlights this risk from untreated hospital wastewaters in developing countries, which presents a great threat to public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhafer Mohammed M Al Salah
- University of Geneva, Faculty of Sciences, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Institute F. A. Forel and Institute of Environmental Sciences, Bd Carl-Vogt 66, CH-1211, Geneva 4, Switzerland; King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Joint Centers of Excellence Program, Prince Turki the 1st St, Riyadh, 11442, Saudi Arabia
| | - Georgette N Ngweme
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, B.P. 11850, Kinshasa XI, Congo
| | - Amandine Laffite
- University of Geneva, Faculty of Sciences, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Institute F. A. Forel and Institute of Environmental Sciences, Bd Carl-Vogt 66, CH-1211, Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Jean-Paul Otamonga
- Université Pédagogique Nationale (UPN), Croisement Route de Matadi et Avenue de La Libération. Quartier Binza/UPN, B.P. 8815 Kinshasa, Congo
| | - Crispin Mulaji
- Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, University of Kinshasa, B.P. 190, Kinshasa XI, Congo
| | - John Poté
- University of Geneva, Faculty of Sciences, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Institute F. A. Forel and Institute of Environmental Sciences, Bd Carl-Vogt 66, CH-1211, Geneva 4, Switzerland; Université Pédagogique Nationale (UPN), Croisement Route de Matadi et Avenue de La Libération. Quartier Binza/UPN, B.P. 8815 Kinshasa, Congo; Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, University of Kinshasa, B.P. 190, Kinshasa XI, Congo.
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