Human risk assessment from organochlorine pesticides in cabbage plant cultivated along the banks of River Getsi, Kano State

Abstract

The study investigated the human risk assessment of twenty (20) organochlorine pollutants in cabbage plant cultivated along the banks of river Getsi, Kano State. The samples were collected, stored, later extracted and cleaned up using florisil method. Analysis was carried out using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with electrocapture detector. The result obtained shows that heptachlor, aldrin, heptachlor epoxide, diedrin, endrin,endosulfan 11,endrin aldehyde, endosulfan sulfate and methoxyclor (about 60%) has health quotient above one. While alpha-
BHC,  beta-BHC, gamma-BHC, delta-BHC,4.4 DDE,4.4DDD,4.4DDT and diedrin were less than one. The investigation indicated that cumulative irrigation with polluted wastewater fumigated with organochlorine pesticides (River Getsi) has negative effects on soil properties, which consequently affects the quality of cabbage making its health risk index and translocation factor greater than one (1). The hazard quotients of about 60% of the OCPs in cabbage are greater than one and so tend to pose serious health risk to consumers. Fumigation with organophosphate chemicals among others poses little health risk.