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Background of the study: The release of anthropogenic (industrial, agricultural and domestic) pollutants with endocrine disruptive effects into the environment represents serious public health concerns. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is a group of environmental pollutants that interfere with hormone synthesis, metabolism, excretion and functions in exposed organisms[1-2] . These interactions eventually produce deleterious consequences on reproduction, development, metabolism, physiology, neurobehavioral disorders[3-10] . In addition, EDCs have been shown to produce effects related to cancers, diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, birth defects, infertility, early onset of puberty in girls, early menopause in women, mortality and morbidity in exposed individuals[11-18] . Accumulating scientific and public health evidence has indicated the common environmental occurrence of EDCs such as phthalate esters (PEs)[19-22] , bisphenol-A (BPA)[23-25] , perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)[26] , polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)[7-8, 27-46] , polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)[29-30,46- 59] , phenolic compounds[8,23-24,28-29,60-62] , organotins[29,63] , organochlorine (OCs), organophosphate ester (OPE) pesticides (OPs)[7-8,28,30,33,63-76] , pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs)[23,77] in aquatic food resources and inland rivers, lakes, streams and sediments throughout Nigeria. For Nigeria as a developing country with limited supply of potable municipal water, majority of the local populations mostly depend on potentially contaminated inland water sources for drinking and domestic water supply. These inland and potentially contaminated waters are also significant source of aquatic food resources (fish, shrimps, crabs, periwinkles, and oysters) and representing significant food safety concerns and public health risk. National and regional concerns over reports on the occurrence of significant high concentrations of EDCs in many drinking water sources and aquatic food resources have informed several research efforts into the public health risk implications associated with continuous exposure to this group of contaminants[78-79] . The World Health Organization (WHO) and United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) have proposed statistical models for estimating the potential public health risks implications based on the Estimated Average Daily Intake (EADI) and the Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) for vulnerable populations[80-81] . These public health risk assessment methods provides valid and useful indication of the potential diseases burden including carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risk associated with drinking water and eating aquatic food resources contaminated with a wide range of environmental contaminants including EDCs[79-82] . Therefore, this systematic review is an integrated effort aimed at systematically analyzing published literature to identify pollution sources into drinking waters, potential public health risk associated with consuming contaminated drinking water and aquatic food resources from Nigerian inland waters. Using systematic review process and meta-analyses, the study will summarize multiple scientific evidence, highlight research gaps, strategies, and needs, including actions taken to reduce disease burden and public health risk posed by EDCs exposures in Nigeria. It will evaluate negative human health burden risk, including targeted hazard quotient (THQ for vulnerable populations) and carcinogenic risks (CR) attributable to EDCs in drinking water and aquatic food resources (using available secondary data). We will use exposure assessment models (drinking water and aquatic food resources) for adult and children consumer based on WHO, and USEPA recommended statistical models for vulnerable populations[79-82] . It is expected that this study will provide scientific outcomes and form a technical basis for effective drinking water interventions, sensitization and policy formulation/implementation towards public health safety in Nigeria. |
