Contamination and safety status of plant food in Arab countries

Abstract

Contamination of crop samples by organic chemicals has become a pressing problem in many Arab countries. This paper reviews the contamination levels of plant food in and correlates it with the associated health risk. Safety status was assessed by comparing the current contamination level with that of world health organization (WHO) maximum residue limits (MRL). A range of low contamination levels were detected in cucumber and tomato in Palestine, Jordan and Egypt. Elevated levels of contamination were detected in vegetables from Pakistan, Egypt and in grapes from Jordan. Several poisonous cases and plant food contamination were reported in Morocco, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Jordan, UAE, Pakistan and Yemen in the past years. Further detailed studies of these problem showed accumulation of these organic contaminants in food consumer bodies and farm workers who deal directly …