RISK ASSESSMENT OF THE EXPOSURE OF SENEGALESE CONSUMERS TO PESTICIDE RESIDUES IN ARTISANALLY PROCESSED SARDINELLA AURITA AND SARDINELLA MADERENSIS PRODUCTS

In Senegal, sardinella (Sardinella aurita and Sardinella maderensis) are braised or smoked, salted, and dried to preserve them, resulting in a product called ketiakh. Surpluses and unsold catch are processed into ketiakh and stored, then marketed in Senegal and the sub-region. Pesticides are used to combat insect pests, mainly dermestid beetles (Dermestes spp). This study assessed the sanitary quality of processed sardinella and the risk to consumers exposed to residues of these pesticides. Twenty-five samples of smoked-dried sardinella (ketiakh) were taken from various points along the Senegalese coast. Residues (nature and concentrations) were determined by the PRIMORIS laboratory (Belgium) by combining two multi-residue methods (148 active substances were tested in GC-MS/MS). The results showed the presence of chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin and fenitrothion, at concentrations ranging from 0.011 to 0.310 mg/kg for chlorpyrifos. The risk of exposure to these three insecticides was evaluated by calculating the predicted short-term intake (PSTI) for a 70 kg adult and a 20 kg child during a meal prepared according to a traditional recipe, then compared to the respective acute reference dose and acceptable daily intake values. The calculation of PSTI indicated values reaching 10,000% of the toxicological reference values. The results of the study therefore indicate that the consumption of artisan-processed S. aurita and S. maderensis along the Senegalese coast may present a major toxicological risk for both young and adult consumers.