Abstract:

Access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food is vital to sustaining life and promoting good health. Seasonal variation in disease causing agents such as dietary heavy metals can negatively influence morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the seasonal variation in lead, cadmium, manganese, copper, chromium, cobalt, nickel, and zinc in African Spinach a staple food in Nigeria. The method employed was atomic absorption spectrophotometry and the results indicates that the mean concentration of levels of Cd, Cu, Mn in the food crop increased during the rainy season while the mean concentration of Cr, Co, Pb, Ni, and Zinc were either higher or vary slightly during the dry season. With the exception of Cd and Co all other heavy metals were within maximum permissible limits set by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives and the Agency for toxic substance disease registry (ATSDR), although slightly higher levels of lead were recorded in some dry seasons samples they still fell within permissible limits. Understanding the seasonal variation of heavy metal contamination in staple foods can possibly explain the seasonal variation in prevalence of some non communicable diseases, save lives and reduce healthcare costs.

Keywords: Dietary exposure, Heavy metal, Contamination, Vegetables, Food Additives.

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