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Phenomena Leading to Food Chain Contamination to Intensify Climate Change Effects and Adaptation in Bangladesh

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Climate Change and Food Security in South Asia

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Abstract

Effects of climate change regarding food chain contamination are ­well-pronounced. Prevalence of environmental contaminants and chemical residues in food chain is one of them. To address such climate change effects sustainable public and environmental health are the prime concerns. Due to be of flood-plain physiography, Bangladesh is more vulnerable to the effects which can be intensified by regional eco-toxicity phenomena that are getting newer dimensions. Two of such dimensions are phenomena of chromium and lead contamination of food chain. In Bangladesh, among the routes of chromium eco-toxicity, feeds and fertilizer ­production from tanned skin-cut wastes (SCW) has been found to be the most direct one leading to food chain contamination. To study heavy metal status of production of protein-concentrates from SCW as fertilizer and feed input, extensive chromium pollution has been detected. Protein-concentrate production process was comprehensively ­studied and chromium concentration was found to be as high as 2.49%. In this way a huge migration of chromium can happen into poultry products, fish and vegetables, and further bio-magnify into food chain. The target population of this phenomenon is also huge. Another investigation was to study the environmental fate of intense auto-exhaust lead pollution in Bangladesh which is only recently been controlled. Regional bioconcentration has been investigated to assess the nature and extent of ecotoxicity of these two heavy metals. Single poultry egg from the sampling of 96 eggs covering eight districts of central Bangladesh was found to contain a mean chromium content of 23.3809 μg, which exceeds adequate daily dietary intake of children up to 8 years of age as well as corresponds to major part for other age groups. The mean regional bioconcentration of lead was found to be 8.1611 ppm which is about 80 times higher than the maximum permissible limit. As these are most likely to have become ecotoxicity phenomena, these will also involve other living species that constitute the ecosystem and can also exert effects on climate change through shaping altered ecological niche. Moreover, these ­phenomena will intensify the climate change effects on food chain contamination in this region and hence complicate the adaptation.

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Abbreviations

SCW:

Skin-cut wastes

AAS:

Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry

DRIs:

Dietary reference intakes

UL:

Upper intake level

RDA:

Recommended dietary allowance

AI:

Adequate intakes

APM:

Airborne Particulate Matter

WHO:

World Health Organization

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Author notes

  1. A. M. M. Maruf Hossain

    Present address: Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology, Room # 208, 261 Cheomdan-gwagiro (Oryong-dong), Buk-gu, Gwangju, 500-712, Republic of Korea

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil, Water and Environment, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    A. M. M. Maruf Hossain & S. F. Elahi

Authors
  1. A. M. M. Maruf Hossain
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  2. S. F. Elahi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. M. M. Maruf Hossain .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Coffey Rd 2021, COLUMBUS, 43210-1043, Ohio, USA

    Rattan Lal

  2. Div. Agricultural Meteorology, World Meteorological Organization, avenue de la Paix 7bis, Geneve, 1211, Switzerland

    Mannava V.K. Sivakumar

  3. , Dept. of Soil, Water and Environment, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh

    S.M.A. Faiz

  4. , Dept. of Soil, Water and Environment, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh

    A.H.M. Mustafizur Rahman

  5. OARDC Piketon Station, Shyville Road 1864, Piketon, 45661, USA

    Khandakar R. Islam

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Hossain, A.M.M.M., Elahi, S.F. (2010). Phenomena Leading to Food Chain Contamination to Intensify Climate Change Effects and Adaptation in Bangladesh. In: Lal, R., Sivakumar, M., Faiz, S., Mustafizur Rahman, A., Islam, K. (eds) Climate Change and Food Security in South Asia. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9516-9_32

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