Environmental and Human Health

Articles

Heavy Metal Toxicity and the Literacy-Awareness Paradox: A Socio-Behavioral Model of Bushmeat Consumption in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

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https://doi.org/10.54963/ehh.v1i1.2343
Volume 1 Issue 1 (2025)

Authors

  • Daniel Etim Jacob

    Department of Forestry and Wildlife, University of Uyo, Uyo 520003, Nigeria
  • Gideon Efiakedoho

    Department of Forestry and Wildlife, University of Uyo, Uyo 520003, Nigeria
  • Ogaga Dean Efenakpo

    Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt 500004, Nigeria
  • Imaobong Daniel Jacob

    Department of Forestry and Wildlife, University of Uyo, Uyo 520003, Nigeria
    Department of Forestry and Wildlife Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri 460114, Nigeria
  • Koko Sunday Daniel

    Department of Forestry and Wildlife, University of Uyo, Uyo 520003, Nigeria
  • Francis Muyorkem Akor

    Department of Forestry and Wildlife, University of Uyo, Uyo 520003, Nigeria
  • Angela Nwanneka Okeke

    Department of Forestry and Wildlife Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri 460114, Nigeria

Received: 28 July 2025; Revised: 7 October 2025; Accepted: 17 November 2025; Published: 21 December 2025

Food safety in Sub-Saharan Africa is increasingly compromised by invisible chemical contaminants in wild-sourced proteins, often referred to as bushmeat. This study provides a novel integration of toxicological risk assessment and socio-behavioral modeling by analyzing 60 consumers and meat samples of the Greater Cane Rat (Thryonomys swinderianus) across Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Chemical analysis revealed severe heavy metal contamination. Zinc (385 mg/kg) and Chromium (2.5 mg/kg) significantly exceeded World Health Organization (WHO) permissible thresholds by 7.6 and 2.5 times, respectively. Health risk assessments demonstrated a cumulative Hazard Index (HI) of 2.440, indicating significant non-carcinogenic health risks for consumers. Furthermore, the Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) for Chromium reached 3.82 × 10⁻4, dangerously exceeding the globally acceptable threshold. Socio-behaviorally, a stark literacy-awareness paradox emerged. Despite 60.71% of respondents holding a tertiary education, 57.14% were entirely unaware of the causes of chemical contamination, and 60.71% were unfamiliar with safety or risk-reduction practices. Binary logistic regression confirmed that education level (p < 0.05) and specific toxin awareness (p < 0.01) are critical predictors of consumer behavior. Notably, toxicologically aware individuals were 7.28 times more likely to pay for safety-certified bushmeat. These findings imply that standard educational campaigns are insufficient. Public health interventions must shift from general literacy to localized, evidence-based risk communication to mitigate chronic toxicity and protect urban food systems.

Keywords:

Bushmeat Heavy Metals Food Safety Akwa Ibom Risk Assessment Literacy-Awareness Paradox Willingness to Pay Consumer Behavior

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