Chlorinated Pesticide Residu es in Selected Fruits from Some Ghanaian Markets and the Possible Impact on Children's Health

In this study, analysis of over 300 fruit samples obtained from open and closed markets in Accra, Ghana were carried out on Gas Chromatograph - Electron Capture Detector (GC - ECD) employing multi residue analytical technique. The principal contamination was o rganochlorines with organophosphates, pyrethroids and carbamates being absent. Generally, the data showed that most of the fruit samples analyzed contain residues of the monitored pesticides below the accepted maximum residue limit (MRL) as adopted by the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) [1], although some pesticide residues (γ - chlordane and aldrin) were not detected in all the fruit samples . The results obtained further revealed that 38.6% of the fruit samples were above the MRL, 48.7 % were be low MRL and 12.7 % contained no detectable level of the monitored pesticides. Estimation of dietary intake of pesticides by fruits revealed that only heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, endrin aldehyde, and endrin ketone levels exceeded the acceptable daily in take (ADI) and may pose risks to children’s health. However γ - HCH, δ - HCH, o,p’ - DDT, p,p’ - DDE or p,p’ - DDT did not show to cause dietary intake risks, although present in pawpaw, tomato and apple.