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Article History

Received: 30 December 2025

Accepted: 26 June 2026

First Online: 16 July 2026

Declarations

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical considerations: This study is part of the Ecosante Chair’s major study, which included the protocols of the doctoral students in the Interuniversity Doctoral Program submitted to and approved by the National Research Ethics Committee (CNER) under number 026 − 18/MSHP/CNER-kp. In addition, this study was submitted to and authorised by the office of the Fédération des Patrons de Boulangeries de Côte d’Ivoire and the Centre Ivoirien Anti-Pollution (CIAPOL). At the measurement sites, the participants (bakery employees and bakery owners) were briefed on the content and various phases of the study. The questionnaire was administered only when consent was obtained. Interviews were conducted in French or local language and in private locations to ensure confidentiality.

Consent to participate: A written informed consent was obtained from all participants in the study. In rare instances where certain bakery employees had difficulty reading, the information was explained verbally in the presence of an independent witness, followed by the signing or fingerprinting of the consent form. Participation was voluntary and participants were informed of their right to withdraw from the study when they wished to do so. All the participants were aware of the study’s purpose, risks, and benefits.Data were collected, managed, and analyzed in a way to ensure the confidentiality of study participants. All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the national ethic review committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.