Ujowundu CO, Ekwonwa AJ, Agha NC and Okechukwu RI
Tyres are a mixture of vulcanized or cross-linked polymers, carbon black, dispersing oil, sulphur, synthetic fibres, pigments, processing chemicals and steel/fiberglass. Burning of tyre materials produces smoke and toxic air pollutants, including benzene, dioxins, furans, heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). We investigated the effects of the accumulation of these toxicants on fish smoked with waste tyre materials as fuel source on liver function and oxidative stress parameters in Albino Wistar rats. In this toxicological study, some of the rats were exposed to diet formulated with the smoked fish and some were allowed diets formulated with smoked fish and/or Solanum lycopersicum and Allium cepa. At the end of the study period, the liver function parameters (total protein, albumin, AST, ALP, ALP, bilirubin and cholesterol) indicated negative hepatic changes with adverse fluctuations in oxidative stress parameters (GPx, catalase, SOD, GSH and MDA). Incorporation of S. lycopersicum and A. cepa in the diets ameliorated these adverse biochemical changes in rats exposed to fish smoked with these toxic materials.
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