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Determination of Organochlorine Pesticide Residue Levels in Chewable Parts of the Khat (Catha edulis) Plant

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Abstract

In this study, the levels of DDT and its metabolite residues were determined in chewable parts of Catha edulis plants grown in the southern part of Ethiopia. The levels of p,p′-DDT and p,p′-DDE were found to be in the range of 10.8–19.7 and 3.5–18.6 μg/kg, respectively. These data revealed that the residue being detected is from recent applications. The estimated daily intake of total DDT from C. edulis consumption was calculated to be in the range between 0.0278 and 0.0747 μg/kg, which is significantly lower than the FAO/WHO guideline. However, this may not guarantee safety, as the application of DDT extends to vegetables as well. Even though the use of DDT was banned in Ethiopia for agriculture purposes, detectable levels are still being observed. The results of the study necessitate the need for awareness creation among the people in the community.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support received from the Norwegian Programme for Development, Research and Education (NUFU) project, at Dilla university. Officials at the Agricultural Product Quality Monitoring and Testing Laboratory, Fededral Ministry of Agriculture, Ethiopia are highly appreciated for providing use of their GC-ECD instrument for this research work. We thank V. M. Rao, B. S. Reddy and M. K. Choudhury for editing the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Bule Hora University, P. O. Box 144, Bule Hora, Ethiopia

    Shemsu Ligani

  2. Department of Chemistry, School of Graduate Studies, Dilla University, P. O. Box 419, Dilla, Ethiopia

    Ahmed Hussen

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  1. Shemsu Ligani
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  2. Ahmed Hussen
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Correspondence to Ahmed Hussen.

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Ligani, S., Hussen, A. Determination of Organochlorine Pesticide Residue Levels in Chewable Parts of the Khat (Catha edulis) Plant. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 93, 591–595 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-014-1385-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-014-1385-4

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