We determined the concentrations of lead and cadmium in edible parts of Colocasiaesculenta, Amaranthusspp. and Ipomoea batata cultivated on farms in industrially polluted sections of Nyabugogo marsh (Kigali, Rwanda) and quantified metal intake by consumers of these crops. We report that metal concentrations in crops were within EU limits. The highest metal concentrations were found in Amaranthusspp.leaves (lead=0.31 mg/kg and cadmium=0.03 mg/kg) and the lowestin I. batata (lead=0.02 mg/kg and cadmium=0.01 mg/kg). Conversely, metal intake through these crops by adults in a surveyed community exceeded thresholds prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Based on crop consumption quantities, dietary lead intake by adults exceeded the recommended maximum by as much as seven and four orders of magnitude through Amaranthusspp and C. esculenta, respectively. Cadmium intake exceeded the WHO recommended maximum by two (Amaranthusspp and C. esculenta) and three (I. batata) orders of magnitude.

There is growing concern regarding to the possible effects of air pollution on respiratory health of children in Eleme industrial area of Port-Harcourt Nigeria. A total of 250 children were sampled from six primary schools with pre-nursery facilities for a period of 18 months. Subjects were divided into two zones (A and B), monitored and examined on weekly basis. The effects of four criteria pollutants (nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and carbon monoxide) on the respiratory health of the children were examined with reference to symptoms and diseases such as cough, cold, bronchitis, sinusitis and phlegm. Data were obtained from surveys of socioeconomic status of parents of subjects, three air monitoring stations and on-the-spot measurements of these pollutants and their association with symptoms and diseases analyzed. Results showed that there was a strong association between air pollution and symptoms and diseases among children. The effect was strongest among children below 2 years of age (adjusted OR= 3.5, 95%, CI 1.7-8.3) in the highly polluted zone than in the less polluted area. The higher the age of children, the lesser the susceptibility to these pollutants. These general results constitute a starting point for further research on long-term exposure to industrial air pollution and call for an urgent enforcement of regulatory standards to protect the most vulnerable groups in most of the growing metropolises of the country.