DETECTION OF SOME ORGANOCHLORINE PESTICIDES IN LARGE AFRICAN SNAILS FROM OJE MARKET, IBADAN, NIGERIA

Snails (Mollusca: Achatinadae) are crucial fauna species on earth that serve the functions of food and biological indicators of environmental pollution. Numerous chemical discharges from agricultural applications of pesticides and industrial outlets could destroy human body parts and deplete the environment. This study assessed the occurrence of some organochlorine pesticides in giant African snails from Oje Market, Ibadan, Nigeria. Aldrin, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), and heptachlor epoxide levels were measured in snails taken at random from thirty (30) sample points in the Oje market in Ibadan. Snails were weighed, labeled, and then divided into three groups of ten (10). The forte extraction method was used, and gas chromatography with an electron capture detector (GC/ECD) was used to analyze the various pesticide types in the snail sample. The mean concentration of heptachlor epoxide is 41.65 mg/kg, higher than aldrin and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (9.44 mg/kg and 4.17 mg/kg, respectively). The concentrations of pesticides range from 4.27 mg/kg - 21.77 mg/kg for aldrin, 2.80 mg/kg to 6.92 mg/kg for dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, and 22.87 mg/kg to 75.15 mg/kg for heptachlor epoxide. The Pearson correlation coefficient between Aldrin and DDT is 0.939, while that of Aldrin and Heptachlor epoxide is 0.945, and that of Heptachlor epoxide and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane is 0.981. The analysis revealed a solid positive correlation between the concentration of pesticides. The pesticide levels observed in the snail samples exceeded those of the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Therefore, snails' consumption should be monitored to avoid toxicity in humans.