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Nigeria: Cadmium Fertiliser Causes Cancer, Renal Failure, Say Experts
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Daily Trust (Abuja)
17 November 2007
Posted to the web 18 November 2007
Chemical and crop production experts have warned that the high concentration of cadmium substances in fertiliser used by rice farmers is inimical to human health.
The experts, Dr. Usman Shuaibu and Dr. Garba Abdul of the Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, gave the warning in a report on their joint research study in selected rice plantations in Bauchi State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quotes the researchers as saying indiscriminate consumption of rice produced with fertiliser that had high concentration of cadmium could cause cancer, diabetes and renal failure.
The researchers called for a reduction in the quantum of toxic chemicals in fertiliser production because of its environmental and health hazards.
The dons who made the outcome of their studies public at the ninth annual conference of the Nigerian Association of Agricultural Economists (NAAE), advised fertiliser manufacturers to maintain low cadmium level during production.
They said the long-term application of cadmium concentrated fertiliser in rice fields was responsible for the high concentration of toxic chemicals in ground water, particularly within the Bauchi area where the study was conducted.
"Areas with the highest cultivation history of 25 to 30 years had the highest cadmium concentration.
"'It is estimated that 98 per cent of the ingested cadmium comes from terrestrial foods, while only one per cent comes from aquatic foods and drinking water," they said.
Shuaibu and Abdul, both of the Chemistry Department and the School of Agriculture respectively, warned that fertiliser with high phosphate content was harmful to crops such as rice because of its toxicity.
"Long-term application of fertiliser contributes to cadmium accumulation in soils which in the long run, contaminates the soil and ground water around rice fields," they said.
The experts advised fertiliser companies to use diamonium phosphate and NPK 15:15:15 rather than cadmium, adding that diamonium had low cadmium content.
They also advised rice farmers to adopt shifting cultivation to minimise the effects of cadmium on their farms.
"'Shifting cultivation may help to reduce the concentration of cadmium in rice grain," they said.
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The lecturers also advocated for the introduction of effective technologies to clean up soils already contaminated with cadmium.
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