{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T18:02:17Z","timestamp":1785175337013,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,24]],"date-time":"2026-07-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784851200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Environmental Management Agency","award":["EMA-G01-2022"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["EMA-G01-2022"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health","IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Wild foods and geophagic material are important in the nutrition of communities along Zimbabwe\u2019s Great Dyke, a serpentinic ultramafic (SUG) and surrounding granitic geological (GG) environment. However, the health risks associated with consumption of these in terms of toxic geogenic contaminants (TGC) is largely unknown. The study objective was to evaluate the health risks associated with consuming wild foods and geophagic materials from these environments. Methods: Health risk assessments were determined using the hazard quotient, hazard index (HI) and life cancer risk (LCR) for 10 TGCs in wild foods and geophagic material. Results: High human health risks (HI \u2265 1) were found in six wild foods and geophagic material under the SUG environment compared with five wild foods and geophagic material under the GG environment. Wild foods and geophagic materials exceeded the tolerable risk level of 1 \u00d7 10\u22124. Their LCR values ranged from 2.11 \u00d7 10\u22121 to 6.83 \u00d7 10\u22127. All TGCs had high LCR values above the tolerable risk level, except for Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn. Conclusions: Infusion reduced the LCR values for TGCs, with only Pb in the GG environment decreasing to below tolerable risk level. Communities should apply selective consumption and avoid F. sycomorus and geophagic materials with cancer risks.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph23080957","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T17:16:34Z","timestamp":1785172594000},"page":"957","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Human Health Risks Associated with the Consumption of Wild Foods and Geophagic Material Along the Great Dyke and Surrounding Areas in Zimbabwe"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"23","author":[{"given":"Aaron","family":"Chigona","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, University of Zimbabwe, 1 Mt Pleasant Drive, Harare P.O. Box MP 167, Zimbabwe"},{"name":"Environmental Management Agency, 685\/6 Lorraine Drive\/Faber Road, Harare P.O. Box CY 385, Zimbabwe"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1493-3245","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Farai","family":"Mapanda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Soil Science and Environment, University of Zimbabwe, 1 Mt Pleasant Drive, Harare P.O. Box MP 167, Zimbabwe"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chakare","family":"Benhura","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences, 1 Mt Pleasant Drive, Harare P.O. Box MP 167, Zimbabwe"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Justice","family":"Nyamangara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Climate Change and Food Security Institute, Marondera University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Plot 15 Longlands Road, Marondera P.O. Box 35, Zimbabwe"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Phillip","family":"Nyamugafata","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Soil Science and Environment, University of Zimbabwe, 1 Mt Pleasant Drive, Harare P.O. Box MP 167, Zimbabwe"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5506-818X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Menas","family":"Wuta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Soil Science and Environment, University of Zimbabwe, 1 Mt Pleasant Drive, Harare P.O. Box MP 167, Zimbabwe"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ntandokamlimu","family":"Nondo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Environmental Management Agency, 685\/6 Lorraine Drive\/Faber Road, Harare P.O. Box CY 385, Zimbabwe"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-0204-4859","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sessely","family":"Mavunga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Environmental Management Agency, 685\/6 Lorraine Drive\/Faber Road, Harare P.O. Box CY 385, Zimbabwe"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Takudzwa","family":"Nota","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Environmental Management Agency, 685\/6 Lorraine Drive\/Faber Road, Harare P.O. Box CY 385, Zimbabwe"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"158803","DOI":"10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2022.158803","article-title":"The impacts of mining on the food sovereignty and security of Indigenous Peoples and local communities: A global review","volume":"855","author":"Blanco","year":"2023","journal-title":"Sci. Total Environ."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6305","DOI":"10.1007\/s10653-023-01551-6","article-title":"Geochemical composition and potential health risks of geophagic materials: An example from a rural area in the Limpopo Province of South Africa","volume":"45","author":"Mouri","year":"2023","journal-title":"Environ. Geochem. 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