Abstract
Chicken meat is classed among one of the major sources of animal proteins and still enjoys global acceptance to date without recourse to their heavy metal residues. Hence, this study investigated the heavy metal residues in raw chicken meat and the associated health risk via consumption within major markets in southern Nigeria. A total of 240 raw chicken meat samples (muscle tissues) were purchased randomly from Warri, Akure, Ado-Ekiti and Benin City markets. After ashing, digestion and heavy metals analysis for Pb, Cr, Cd, Mn, Ni, Zn and Cu using standard atomic adsorption spectrophotometer, the target hazard quotient (THQ), health risk index (HI) and daily intake index (non-carcinogenic risk) and incremental cancer risk in children and adults were determined. The mean heavy metals ranged from 0.001 ± 0.001 mg/kg (Cr) to 2.094 ± 0.001 mg/kg (Zn) and varied significantly (P<0.05) with Warri samples (58.9 %) yielding the highest level, followed by Benin City (26.8 %), Ado-Ekiti (10.2 %) and Akure (4.2 %) samples. The non-carcinogenic risks (HR/HI) were substantially low for the metals studied in all the locations except for Cd, which could pose serious health risk among children in Warri location. However, the incremental cancer risk ranged from 10-4 to 10-3 in all the locations, suggesting at least a cancer case per 1,000 exposed people (both in children and adults). Considering the impending public health risks, critical hazards points of heavy metals contaminations along meat production chains should be properly identified to drastically reduce their potential risks to exposed consumers.
Highlights
Plants are the primary sources of food to humans
The non-carcinogenic risks (HR/health risk index (HI)) were substantially low for the metals studied in all the locations except for Cd, which could pose serious health risk among children in Warri location
The heavy metal residue of commercial fresh chicken meat samples was investigated with a view to estimating the potential public health risk associated thereby via consumption
Summary
Plants are the primary sources of food to humans. Apart from plants, humans derive a good portion of their foods from animals. Intense pollution of the environment by human and industrial wastes such as over-reliance on agro-chemicals, chemical raw materials and fossil fuel combustion has been identified as common sources of heavy metals (Tchounwou et al, 2012; Jaishankar et al, 2014). From these sources, the metals find their way into raw and processed food of plants and animals’ origins
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