Heavy/Toxic Metals in Meat Singed with Scrap Automobile Tires in Ghana

Undergraduate #290
Discipline: Ecology Environmental and Earth Sciences
Subcategory: Pollution/Toxic Substances/Waste

Brittney Terry - Lawsonstate Community College
Co-Author(s): Brittny Terry, Alicia Brown, and Evans Afriyie-Gyawu, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA

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Concerns over possible chemical contamination of meat have risen in developing countries (such as Ghana and Nigeria) due to the fact that abattoirs, slaughterhouses, and slaughter slabs use scrap automobile tires as fuel for singeing the fur off slaughtered animal carcasses intended for human consumption. According to the U.S. EPA, chemicals such as heavy/toxic metals/metalloids (e.g., As, Pb, Cd, Cr, and Fe) are released through open tire burning and can contaminate meat singed with tire-derived flames. Regrettably, meat processed with scrap rubber tires is sold in the markets just as much as meat processed with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Also, consumers cannot discern the difference (in terms of taste, aesthetics, and smell) between meat singed with scrap automobile tires versus that of LPG. Because of the potential health risks, the purpose of this study was to determine the presence and concentrations of metals (Ni, Zn, Pb, Cl, Fe, and Mg) in meat samples singed with scrap automobile tires versus those singed with LPG. A total of 27 goat hide samples collected from slaughterhouses and an abattoir in two major cities of Ghana were used for this study. Samples were collected before singeing, after singeing and after washing to control for contamination before singeing and effect of washing on the singed samples. Samples were lyophilized and homogenized before digestion with nitric acid. Digested samples were subjected to ICP-MS analysis to determine the presence and concentrations of these metals.

Funder Acknowledgement(s): NSF

Faculty Advisor: Evans Afriyie-Gyawu, evansafriyiegyawu@georgiasouthern.edu

Role: I completed the entire research project.