Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35262826›Full record

ArticleEnvironmental geochemistry and health2022

Potential fluoride exposure from selected food crops grown in high fluoride soils in the Makueni County, south-eastern Kenya.

Patrick Kirita Gevera, Mark Cave, Kim Dowling, Peter Gikuma-Njuru, Hassina Mouri

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Environmental geochemistry and health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 33% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Global groundwater contamination by geogenic fluoride.Environmental geochemistry and health · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 4 countries.

Patrick Kirita GeveraDepartment of Geology, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 524, Kingsway, Auckland Park, 2006, South Africa. patrickg@uj.ac.za.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5760-425X
Mark CaveBritish Geological Survey, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK.
Kim DowlingDepartment of Geology, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 524, Kingsway, Auckland Park, 2006, South Africa.
Peter Gikuma-NjuruDepartment of Environmental Science and Land Resources Management, South Eastern Kenya University, P.O. Box 170-90200, Kitui, Kenya.
Hassina MouriDepartment of Geology, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 524, Kingsway, Auckland Park, 2006, South Africa.
University of Johannesburg · ZABritish Geological Survey · GBSouth Eastern Kenya University · KE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Makueni County, located in south-eastern Kenya, faces challenges such as limited potable water and restricted food supplies as the result of semi-aridity. High fluoride (F) concentrations have been reported in drinking water with resultant dental fluorosis affecting the local population. To determine the potential F exposure through the consumption of food crops grown in the area, F concentration was assessed in the main five locally grown and consumed crops. Additionally, the water-soluble F fraction was determined from 30 soil samples with mineralogical determination of 20 samples. Mean F concentration in the food crops was in the order; 700, 288, 71.2, 36.6, and 29 mg/kg in kale, cowpeas leaves, green grams, cowpeas (legume portion), and maize, respectively. The F concentration in farm soils ranged from 0 to 3.47 mg/kg (mean of 0.87 mg/kg) and showed a significant strong positive correlation (p = 0.03, r = 0.89) with F values in the crops. Apatite, muscovite, and biotite were identified as the F-rich minerals present. While considering two hypothetical F absorption fractions (75 and 100%), the estimated average daily dose (EADD) of F from consuming the crops ranged between 0.004 and 65.17 mg/kg/day where the highest values were from the vegetables. Most of these values were higher than the F reference dose (RfD) of 0.06 mg/kg. The estimated EADD values of several hypothetical meals prepared from the analyzed crops revealed that steamed kale and maize porridge pose the highest health risk of F associated diseases to the local population, whereas boiled cowpeas pose no health risk. Children, due to their higher daily energy requirement and low body weight, were the most vulnerable group at risk of high daily F intake relative to the RfD. These results suggest that consumption of the analyzed food crops in Makueni County may significantly contribute to F related diseases in the local population. This creates a food security issue for the area because of the potential health risks associated with these crops which are highly relied upon in the semi-arid area with a limited selection of food crops available and viable to grow.

Indexed as

Drinking WaterFluorosis, DentalChildCrops, AgriculturalFluoridesHumansKenyaSoilVegetablesDrinking WaterFluoridesSoilFluoride in food cropsFood securityMakueni CountySoil qualityWater-soluble fluoride

Identifiers

PMID35262826
PMCPMC9675645
OpenAlexW4220949128

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.