Browsing by Author "Masawe, Khairia"

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Distribution of fluoride in beans and maize grown along the slope of Mount Meru, Tanzania
(Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences, 2019-11-30) Masawe, Khairia; Mtei, Kelvin; Machunda, Revocatus
This study assessed the uptake and distribution of fluoride in maize and beans grown in fluoride contaminated soils, (Ngarenanyuki) around Mount Meru in Northern Tanzania during the rainy season. The study revealed that fluoride uptake increases with increasing fluoride concentration in soils except in a stem and root part of maize and beans respectively. It was observed that fluoride accumulation followed the order of soil >roots > leaves >stem >grain > cob for maize, while the order soil> root> grain> stem was observed for the beans. when the soil contained 116.93ppm of fluoride, the corresponding plants harvested had the mean fluoride accumulation (ppm dry weight) in root, leaves, stem, grain, and cob of maize of 38.560, 24.251, 10.629, 7.7756 and 2.100 respectively, while the soil with 129.2ppm mean fluoride concentration, the accumulation in root, grain, and stem of beans were 16.27, 11.328 and 8.459 respectively. It was reported that beans plant had a higher efficiency in fluoride uptake to bean grain than maize plant. Maize and bean grain collected from Ngarenanyuki contains higher fluoride levels than other fluoride endemic areas. It was also reported that fluoride in the soil samples has a strongly positive correlation with sodium (p-0.000). This suggests that there is a high possibility of fluoride to be present in the form of NaF. Significant accumulation of fluoride in both bean and maize were observed in this study at p≤ 0.05.
Fluoride uptake and translocation in food crops grown in fluoride-rich soils.
(John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2020-06-21) Rizzu, Margherita; Tanda, Alberto; Canu, Linda; Masawe, Khairia; Deroma, Mario Antonello; Roggero, Pier Paolo; Seddaiu, Giovanna; Mtei, Kelvin
BACKGROUND The East African Rift Valley (EARV) area is characterized by an intense volcanic activity, which largely influences the nature of soils, ground and surface waters causing a transfer of fluoride from volcanic emissions to the environment. Field experiments were conducted in F‐contaminated areas of Ngarenanyuki (Arumeru district) in North Tanzania. In order to evaluate the potential fluoride exposure from the diet and the related health risk for the local population, the content of fluoride in soil and plant tissues was assessed, focusing on the edible portions (leaves, fruits or seeds) of the main cultivated and consumed food crops in the area. RESULTS Average fluoride contents of 8.0, 11.4, 11.3 and 14.2 mg kg−1 of dry matter were observed respectively for maize (Zea mays L.), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and kale (Brassica sp. pl .) edible parts. The cumulative estimated average daily dose (EADD) ranged from 0.026 to 0.165 mg F d−1 kg−1 among different rural population groups and considering two different hypotheses of absorption fraction (75% or 100%), i.e. the amount of fluoride that is absorbed during the digestion process. The associated hazard index (HI) values varied from 0.43 to 2.75. CONCLUSIONS Considering the dietary habits of the local population, the outcomes of the present study suggest that the investigated crops can substantially contribute to fluoride related diseases, especially in earlier ages.