Exposure to cyanide following a meal of cassava food

Exposure to cyanide from gari, a popular cassava food in West Africa, is implicated in the causation of ataxic polyneuropathy and amblyopia, but this has been questioned because cyanide was not detected in gari in a study. This study was carried out to determine if gari is a source of exposure to cy...

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Main Authors: Oluwole, O.S., Onabolu, A.O., Sowunmi, A.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2002
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/109346
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author Oluwole, O.S.
Onabolu, A.O.
Sowunmi, A.
author_browse Oluwole, O.S.
Onabolu, A.O.
Sowunmi, A.
author_facet Oluwole, O.S.
Onabolu, A.O.
Sowunmi, A.
author_sort Oluwole, O.S.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Exposure to cyanide from gari, a popular cassava food in West Africa, is implicated in the causation of ataxic polyneuropathy and amblyopia, but this has been questioned because cyanide was not detected in gari in a study. This study was carried out to determine if gari is a source of exposure to cyanide. Gari (150 g) containing cyanohydrin, from which 128 μmol of cyanide ions could be released, was dissolved in 500 ml of cold water for each of the 12 healthy subjects to drink. Concentrations of cyanide in plasma and erythrocytes were determined at baseline and following the meal at 30 min, 1 h, hourly for 4 h and two hourly for 12 h. The mean concentrations of cyanide in the plasma were 6 μmol/l (95% CI 2–10) at baseline, 12 μmol/l (95% CI 6–17) at peak and 6 μmol/l (95% CI 2–10) on return to baseline. The mean amount of cyanide absorbed into the plasma was 13 μmol (S.D. 12), while the transit time of absorbed cyanide was 7.3 h (S.D. 2.1). This study shows that exposure to cyanide follows consumption of gari, but the amount of cyanide absorbed into the plasma from a single meal is small and unlikely to cause acute intoxication. The long transit time of absorbed cyanide in the plasma suggests that frequent intake of gari could cause cyanide to accumulate in the plasma.
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spelling CGSpace1093462024-05-01T08:18:19Z Exposure to cyanide following a meal of cassava food Oluwole, O.S. Onabolu, A.O. Sowunmi, A. trees growth plantations food crops Exposure to cyanide from gari, a popular cassava food in West Africa, is implicated in the causation of ataxic polyneuropathy and amblyopia, but this has been questioned because cyanide was not detected in gari in a study. This study was carried out to determine if gari is a source of exposure to cyanide. Gari (150 g) containing cyanohydrin, from which 128 μmol of cyanide ions could be released, was dissolved in 500 ml of cold water for each of the 12 healthy subjects to drink. Concentrations of cyanide in plasma and erythrocytes were determined at baseline and following the meal at 30 min, 1 h, hourly for 4 h and two hourly for 12 h. The mean concentrations of cyanide in the plasma were 6 μmol/l (95% CI 2–10) at baseline, 12 μmol/l (95% CI 6–17) at peak and 6 μmol/l (95% CI 2–10) on return to baseline. The mean amount of cyanide absorbed into the plasma was 13 μmol (S.D. 12), while the transit time of absorbed cyanide was 7.3 h (S.D. 2.1). This study shows that exposure to cyanide follows consumption of gari, but the amount of cyanide absorbed into the plasma from a single meal is small and unlikely to cause acute intoxication. The long transit time of absorbed cyanide in the plasma suggests that frequent intake of gari could cause cyanide to accumulate in the plasma. 2002-09 2020-09-08T06:57:42Z 2020-09-08T06:57:42Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/109346 en Limited Access Elsevier Oluwole, O.S., Onabolu, A.O. & Sowunmi, A. (2002). Exposure to cyanide following a meal of cassava food. Toxicology Letters, 135(1-2), 19-23.
spellingShingle trees
growth
plantations
food crops
Oluwole, O.S.
Onabolu, A.O.
Sowunmi, A.
Exposure to cyanide following a meal of cassava food
title Exposure to cyanide following a meal of cassava food
title_full Exposure to cyanide following a meal of cassava food
title_fullStr Exposure to cyanide following a meal of cassava food
title_full_unstemmed Exposure to cyanide following a meal of cassava food
title_short Exposure to cyanide following a meal of cassava food
title_sort exposure to cyanide following a meal of cassava food
topic trees
growth
plantations
food crops
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/109346
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AT onaboluao exposuretocyanidefollowingamealofcassavafood
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