Heavy metal contamination of smoked fish is a silent public health crisis in Nigeria. Over 70% of Nigerian households rely on smoked fish as their primary protein source. Yet, environmental pollution and traditional smoking practices using recycled materials introduce toxic heavy metals like lead, cadmium, mercury and chromium into the food chain. This youth-led initiative investigates the scope of contamination across Nigerian markets, documents its health impacts and advocates for policy action. Using systematic review methodology following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we have synthesiszed evidence from fifteen studies across Nigeria, revealing that Lead (Pb) exceeds WHO/FAO limits in up to 65% of sampled smoked fish, with children facing critically high health risks. The initiative has produced published preprints, submitted abstracts to multiple conferences including PAYCON 2026, the Nairobi Health Scientific Conference and is now expanding to community-based awareness campaigns promoting safer smoking technologies. We are building a network of young researchers across disciplines to strengthen environmental health surveillance and food safety monitoring in Nigeria. The initiative is ongoing and actively seeking policy engagement and scaling opportunities.
The initiative has produced measurable scientific outputs and is building momentum. Key impacts include: one published systematic review on heavy metal contamination in smoked fish, available as a preprint on Zenodo; three conference abstracts submitted to international conferences including PAYCON 2026, the Nairobi Health Scientific Conference, and WACBE 2026; and a network of young researchers across five Nigerian institutions now engaged in environmental health research. The initiative has developed a framework for national environmental health surveillance and is currently conducting community engagement activities in Kano State to raise awareness about food safety and pollution risks.
Project information correct as of September 2026