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Trace metal(loid)s contamination in paddy rice (Oryza sativa L.) from wetlands near two gold mines in Côte d’Ivoire and health risk assessment

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Abstract

This study examined the concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) in rice grains grown in wetlands associated with gold mining in central-southern of Côte d’Ivoire to evaluate potential health risks exposure via rice consumption. In total, 30 rice grains were sampled around Agbaou and Bonikro gold mines. Arsenic and cadmium concentrations were determined using an inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES), while atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) was used for mercury. Results showed that As and Hg average concentrations in rice were above the permissible limits, while Cd average concentrations were below the permissible limit established by FAO/WHO in both sites. Except for Hg at Agbaou, no significant (p < 0.05) difference was found between trace metal concentrations in the two sites. The average daily intake (ADI) of As via rice consumption exceeded the USEPA reference dose (RfD) of 0.0003 μg g−1 day−1, indicating that rice ingestion is a pathway of As exposure for adults and children in the area. The average values of non-carcinogen (HQ) for As and carcinogen (CR) for As and Cd risks index suggest that potential health risks exist for both adults and children due to rice consumption at Agbaou and Bonikro. The maximum safe weekly consumption (MSWC) of rice relative to As, Cd, and Hg was estimated for the study area. Overall, this study provides strong evidence that As could threaten local population health in Côte d’Ivoire regions where gold mine extraction is occurring through rice ingestion.

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Acknowledgements

Authors are thankful to the Director from Centre de Recherches Oceanologiques for his encouragement and support. Authors are thankful to Emmanuelle Viard and Christine Devouge-Boyer, Normandie Université, COBRA, UMR CNRS 6014 et FR3038, Université de Rouen et INSA de Rouen, 1 rue Tesnière, 76821 Mont Saint-Aignan Cedex, France, for the assistance in Laboratory analyses.

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Kakou Charles Kinimo: conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, funding acquisition, investigation, methodology, resources, validation, writing—original draft, writing review, and editing.

Koffi Marcellin Yao: conceptualization, funding, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, project administration, supervision, validation, writing—original draft, writing—review, and editing.

Stéphane Marcotte: samples analysis, funding, data analysis, writing—review, and editing.

N’guessan Louis Berenger Kouassi: sampling, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, validation, writing—original draft, writing—review, and editing.

Albert Trokourey: supervisor, data curation, formal analysis, writing—original draft, writing—review, and editing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Kakou Charles Kinimo.

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Kinimo, K.C., Yao, K.M., Marcotte, S. et al. Trace metal(loid)s contamination in paddy rice (Oryza sativa L.) from wetlands near two gold mines in Côte d’Ivoire and health risk assessment. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 22779–22788 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12360-8

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