Fate of lambda-cyhalothrin in kales, tomatoes and cabbage from rural setting in Kenya.
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Date
2017Author
Kithure, J.G.N
Murung, J. I
Tum, P. K
Wanjau, R.N
Thoruwa, C.L.
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
A vegetable is any part of a plant that is consumed
by humans as food as part of a savory course or me
al.
They are highly nutritious and form as key food com
modity in the human consumption. They are also
highly perishable due to their low shelf life.
A diet rich in vegetables and fruits can lower bloo
d pressure,
reduce risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent so
me types of cancer, lower risk of eye and digestive
problems. When researchers combined findings from t
he Harvard studies with several other long-term stu
dies
in the U.S. and Europe, and looked at coronary hear
t disease and stroke separately, they found a simil
ar
protective effect: Individuals who ate more than 5
servings of fruits and vegetables per day had rough
ly a 20
percent lower risk of coronary heart disease and st
roke, compared with individuals who ate less than 3
servings per day. Pesticide residues are the major
contaminants found in vegetables. Pesticides are us
ed in
management of pests and diseases in Agricultural an
d Horticultural crops. They can leave adverse effe
cts on
the nervous system. Some harmful pesticides can cau
se several hazardous diseases like cancer, liver, k
idney,
and lung damage. Certain pesticides can also cause
loss of weight and appetite, irritability, insomnia
,
behavioral disorder and dermatological problems. Th
ere are many pesticides in use today including;
insecticides, acaricides, nematocides, herbicides,
and avicides. Pyrethroids are the most commonly use
d
insecticides. The pyrethroids in use include; delta
methrin, lambda-cyhalothrin and chismethrin. Lambda
-
cyhalothrin was analyzed in some selected vegetable
s (kales, cabbages and tomatoes) in this study. The
samples were obtained from different sellers in som
e rural setting in Kenya known as Makuyu, during th
e dry
and wet seasons. They were extracted for the lambda
-cyhalothrin using organic solvents. The residues w
ere
then determined using high performance liquid chrom
atography (HPLC
)
. The analysis of the data was done
using t-test, regression analysis and ANOVA. In thi
s case, lambda-cyhalothrin was analysed in vegetabl
e
samples obtained from the urban area (Nairobi Marke
ts) during the dry and wet seasons. It was observed
that
the samples analysed during the dry season had high
er residue levels of lambda-cyhalothrin (ranging fr
om
0.0300 mg/kg to 0.3400 mg/kg), than those analysed
during the wet season which, ranged between 0.0001
and
0.0040 mg/kg. The difference between the two season
s was significant at 95 % confidence level, (t
(8, 0.05)
=
2.31 and t
calculated
=4.30). Almost all the samples analysed during the
wet season had undetectable levels of
lambda-cyhalothrin. The residue levels observed dur
ing the dry season were higher than the FAO/WHO’s
ADI of 0.02 mg/kg, but less than the FAO/WHO’s MRLs
of 0.2 mg/kg (FAO/WHO, 1996), while the levels of
lambda-cyhalothrin obtained during the wet seasons
were all lower than the two bodies’ set standards.
Publisher
University of Nairobi
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United StatesUsage Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/Collections
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