Dietary exposure to pesticide residues in Yaoundé: The Cameroonian total diet study

• Published in: Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment, 2008-04, Vol.25 (4), p.458-471
• Main Authors: Gimou, M.-M., Charrondiere, U. R., Leblanc, J.-C., Pouillot, R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Cameroon; Chromatography - methods; Diet; Diet Surveys; exposure assessment; Food Analysis - methods; Food Contamination - analysis; Food Contamination - statistics & numerical data; food intake; Humans; Maximum Allowable Concentration; pesticide residues; Pesticide Residues - analysis; Risk Assessment; Total diet study
• ISSN: 1944-0049; 1944-0057
• DOI: 10.1080/02652030701567475

Dietary exposure to pesticide residues was assessed in Yaoundé, Cameroon, using the total diet study (TDS) method. Sixty-three composite samples, representative of the foods as consumed in Yaoundé, were collected, prepared, and analysed for residues of pesticides including organochlorine, organophosphorous, and pyrethroids. A multi-residue method was used with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.005mgkg −1 . Additional analyses were performed for dithiocarbamates (LOD=0.050mgkg −1 ), glyphosate (LOD=0.005mgkg −1 ) and chlordecone (LOD=0.0008mgkg −1 ) on certain composites samples. The overall contamination was low with 37 out of 46 pesticides below the LOD in all samples. The estimated upper bound (for values less than the LOD equal the LOD; and values less than the LOQ equal the LOQ) of the mean dietary exposures ranged from 0.24% (cypermethrin) to 3.03% (pirimiphos-methyl) of the acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) for pesticides for which at least one analysis was greater than the LOD. This study suggests a low dietary exposure to pesticide residues in Yaoundé.