Assessment of average exposure to organochlorine pesticides in southern Togo from water, maize (Zea mays) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)

Drinking water, cowpea and maize grains were sampled in some potentially exposed agro-ecological areas in Togo and analysed for their contamination by some common organochlorine pesticides. A total of 19 organochlorine pesticides were investigated in ten subsamples of maize, ten subsamples of cowpea and nine subsamples of drinking water. Analytical methods included solvent extraction of the pesticide residues and their subsequent quantification using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of pesticides were also determined. Pesticides residues in drinking water (0.04–0.40 µg l−1) were higher than the maximum residue limit (MRL) (0.03 µg l−1) set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor epoxide and endosulfan levels (13.16–98.79 µg kg−1) in cowpea grains exceeded MRLs applied in France (10–50 µg kg−1). Contaminants’ levels in maize grains (0.53–65.70 µg kg−1) were below the MRLs (20–100 µg kg−1) set by the Food and Agriculture Organization (...