Assessment of Health Risks Related to Pesticide Contamination of Catfish (Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus) Caught in Lake Labo (Lôh-Djiboua, Center-West, Ivory Coast)

The lacustrine ecosystems of West Africa are vital for food security yet facing increasing threats from agricultural pollution. This study quantified residues of 18 pesticides in the muscle tissues of 90 specimens of the silver catfish (Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus), a dominant species in local diets from Lake Labo, Ivory Coast, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The predominantly consumed species is the silver catfish (Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus), which accounts for 52.5 % of local preferences. The total pesticide load was 0.0962mg/ kg, with critical exceedances of European maximum residue limits (MRLs) for aldicarb (0.0198mg/ kg) and methyl-parathion (0.0117mg/ kg). A health risk assessment, based on consumption data from 301 adults, revealed low hazard quotients (HQ < 1) for individual pesticides, with the highest values for aldicarb (HQ = 0.0331), monolinuron (HQ = 0.0075), and methyl-parathion (HQ = 0,0065). However, the lifetime cancer risk (LCR) exceeded the tolerable threshold of 10⁻⁵ for several herbicides: simazine (LCR = 1.83 × 10⁻⁵) and cyanazine (LCR = 2.33 × 10⁻⁵), while the risks for linuron (LCR = 5.27 × 10⁻⁸) and monuron (LCR = 6.14 × 10⁻⁸) were negligible. These results demonstrate a substantial public health threat from both acute and chronic effects linked to the consumption of contaminated fish. The urgent implementation of an integrated management strategy, including stricter pesticide regulation, the promotion of agroecology, and a continuous monitoring program, is recommended to safeguard ecosystem health and protect vulnerable populations.