title: Organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in fish from Lake Awassa in the Ethiopian Rift Valley: human health risks.
abstract: Dietary intake of fish containing organic contaminants poses a potential threat to human health. In the present work, an assessment has been carried out to look at the human health risk associated with consumption of fish contaminated with organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyles (PCBs) in certain fish species collected from Lake Hawassa, Ethiopia. The health risk assessment was made by comparing the concentrations of OCPs and PCBs in fish muscle tissues with reference doses given in the USEPA guidelines. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), endosulfans, PCBs and chloridanes were identified in fish species collected from Lake Hawassa. The most predominant pesticides were DDTs, with mean concentrations of ΣDDT ranging from 19 to 56 ng g(-1) wet weights. The highest concentrations of DDTs were found in Barbus intermedius, representing the highest trophic level. PCBs, DDT and endosulfan concentrations found in B. intermedius exceeded the reference dose for children between the ages of 0-1 year (with hazard index of above 1.0). Therefore, consumption of fish from a high trophic level (e.g. B. intermedius) from Lake Hawassa may pose a special health risk to children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432, Ås, Norway, erimdw@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ermias
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Deribe
authors.forename: Bjørn Olav
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Rosseland
authors.forename: Reidar
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Borgstrøm
authors.forename: Brit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Salbu
authors.forename: Zinabu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gebremariam
authors.forename: Elias
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dadebo
authors.forename: Lindis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Skipperud
authors.forename: Ole Martin
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Eklo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D005002:Ethiopia; D005396:Fish Products / Q000032:analysis*; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000032:analysis*; D060106:Lakes / Q000032:analysis; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis*; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D010575:Pesticides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls