Department of Botany, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
Department of Plant Biology, Osun State University, Osogbo, Nigeria.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Nov;29(52):78303-78313. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-21381-w. Epub 2022 Jun 11.
Microcystins (MCs) are hepatotoxic secondary metabolites produced by several genera of cyanobacteria. Human exposure routes include drinking contaminated water and consuming contaminated fish, vegetables, crops, and even food supplements that contain cyanotoxin. This study investigated the presence of MCs in a stream with a long history of use as a source of water for irrigation farming. To establish the risk of a lack of monitoring programs, we studied MCs contamination of irrigated vegetables. Toxin levels in the water were generally <0.05 μg L in all the investigated stations. Total microcystin concentrations in spinach (0.306 μg Kg upstream and 0.217 μg Kg downstream), lettuce (0.085 μg Kg upstream and 0.462 μg Kg downstream), carrot (0.050 μg Kg downstream and 0.116 μg Kg downstream), cabbage (0.014 μg Kg upstream and 0.031 μg Kg downstream), tomatoes (0.233 μg Kg upstream), and bitter leaf (0.460 μg Kg upstream and 0.050 μg Kg downstream) collected in March were higher than the levels detected in samples of the same vegetables collected in April. These results highlight Nigeria's severe public health problem, especially in regions with long dry season spells. The level of MCs contamination of irrigated vegetables implies a potential for chronic exposure and associated health challenges.
微囊藻毒素（MCs）是由几种蓝藻属产生的肝毒性次生代谢物。人类暴露途径包括饮用受污染的水和食用受污染的鱼类、蔬菜、农作物，甚至含有蓝藻毒素的食物补充剂。本研究调查了一条溪流中 MCs 的存在情况，该溪流长期以来一直被用作灌溉农业的水源。为了确定缺乏监测计划的风险，我们研究了受灌溉蔬菜的 MCs 污染情况。在所有调查的站点中，水中的毒素水平通常都<0.05 μg L。在 3 月份采集的菠菜（上游 0.306 μg Kg，下游 0.217 μg Kg）、生菜（上游 0.085 μg Kg，下游 0.462 μg Kg）、胡萝卜（下游 0.050 μg Kg，下游 0.116 μg Kg）、卷心菜（上游 0.014 μg Kg，下游 0.031 μg Kg）、番茄（上游 0.233 μg Kg）和苦叶（上游 0.460 μg Kg，下游 0.050 μg Kg）中的总微囊藻毒素浓度高于 4 月份采集的相同蔬菜样本中的检测水平。这些结果突出了尼日利亚严重的公共卫生问题，特别是在干旱季节较长的地区。受灌溉蔬菜的 MCs 污染水平意味着存在慢性暴露和相关健康挑战的潜在风险。
