title: Pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables in Ghana: a review.
abstract: Pesticides are known to improve agriculture yield considerably leading to an increase in its application over the years. The use of pesticides has shown varying detrimental effects in humans as well as the environment. Presently, enough evidence is available to suggest their misuse and overuse in the last few decades in most developing nations primarily due to lack of education, endangering the lives of farmers as well as the entire population and environment. However, there is paucity of data especially over long durations in Ghana resulting in the absence of effective monitoring programs regarding pesticide application and subsequent contamination in fruits and vegetables. Therefore, this review discusses comprehensively pesticide type and use, importation, presence in fruits and vegetables, human exposure, and poisoning in Ghana. This is to alert the scientific community in Ghana of the need to further research into the potential implications of pesticide residues in food commodities in order to generate a comprehensive and reliable database which is key in drafting policies simultaneous with food regulation, suitable monitoring initiatives, assessment, and education to minimize their effects thereon.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana. akdonkor@ug.edu.gh.
authors.forename: Augustine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Donkor
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.|Pesticide Residue Laboratory, Ghana Standards Authority, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Osei-Fosu
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Management, Indian Institute Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Brajesh
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dubey
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kingsford-Adaboh
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Cephas
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ziwu
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, University of Ghana, Legon-Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Isaac
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Asante
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry*; D005869:Ghana; D006801:Humans; D010573:Pesticide Residues / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014675:Vegetables / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D010573:Pesticide Residues
keywords: Fruits and vegetables; Ghana; Human exposure; Monitoring; Pesticides; Poisoning