Emmanuel Arhin

Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) has a rich historical background in Ghana, contributing to over 40% of the country's gold production. However, current ASGM practices have neglected responsible mining operations, resulting in environmental degradation and adverse health impacts. A comprehensive study analyzed 3344 soil samples from a mining district in Ghana, revealing high concentrations of arsenic (As), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn). These elements are associated with gold mineralization within the Birimian System. The likely causes of these elevated levels include heavy metal accumulations during mining activities as well as pesticide/fertilizer usage on farms - which is the primary occupation within this study area alongside ASGM operations. The study identified areas enriched with potentially harmful double-sword elements that require small amounts for human development- indicating serious environmental health concerns within these zones. The highest recorded values were up to 246 ppm for As, 148 ppm for Pb, 87 ppm for Cu, and 200 ppm for Zn. Notably, elevated concentrations of As occurred at Agrave, Bogoso, Juabeng, Gyaba. Gyeduakese etc., while high levels of Pb were found at Bogoso, Agrave, Beposo, Wassa Bekwae, Asaasetre, Donkorworano, Samreboi, Odumase, Anhwerem locations; Cu had high concentrations near Bawdie and Moseaso while Zn was highly concentrated at Kwao Mensah, Kokoasi, Ayensukrom Hamatuo and Abotarey sites. In conclusion, this paper recommends establishing baseline pollution status measurements before commencing any mining activities followed by regular monitoring to ensure safety standards are maintained - especially regarding the population living around mining communities' good health rights protection.

Geophagia is widespread in rural Ghana and particularly among pregnant and breastfeeding women. The perceptions of the practitioners to ingest the geophagic materials generally are not based on science and data but are hinged often on cultural and traditional beliefs and sometimes thought as substitute to treat some ailments without the use of medicine. The geophagic materials are earth products and could contain essential and harmful elements as well as materials that may have detrimental impact to human health. To assess the health risks accompanying the consumption of geophagic material, twenty geophagic materials were analyzed geochemically using Ultra Trace Aqua Regia ICP-MS analytical technique and with Qualitative X-Ray Diffraction analysis (XRD Qual) for the mineralogical phases. The results revealed quartz as the abundant mineral (average, 54.30%). The chemical analysis also revealed depletions of the analyzed elements. The health risk assessment showed the practitioners risk consuming the geophagic materials because the health risk indices for Pb and Cr were >1. Again, the substantial amount of quartz in the geophagic materials may damage the dental enamel during mastication and as well erode the gastro-intestinal lining and perforate the sigmoid colon of which the outcome will be stomach disorders.

This study establishes the local background and baseline values of elements in surface soils in Wassa area underlain by Birimian rocks using probability Q–Q plots. In this study, a total of 2868 soil samples were collected. The chemical elements in these samples were analysed by XRF technique. The results from the analysis were processed following Papastergios and Karim methods that normalized and transformed the data after which a best of fit is estimated to determine the background and baseline values. The method excludes the outliers at the extremities from the transformed data until the distribution follows a straight line. The method yielded the following background values in this study: 6.41 mg/kg for As, 52.55 mg.kg for Cr, 9.89 mg/kg for Pb, 10.21 mg/kg for Co and 17.18 mg/kg for Ni. The calculated baseline values were also 13.2 mg/kg, 80.7 mg/kg, 6.7 mg/kg, 6.4 mg/kg and 8.7 mg/kg for As, Cr, Pb, Co and Ni, respectively. The departure between the locally calculated background and baseline values of elements relative to worldwide accepted background and baseline values suggests the relevance to conduct such studies for the various geological provinces in the country as a vital step to properly and effectively manage and sustain the environment against environmental health diseases.

Inadequate data linking geology and health in Developing Countries contributes immensely to the challenges to identify sources and causes of many of the emerging diseases. Deficiencies and toxicities of trace elements generally impact human and animal health. The review of the geology of Ghana suggests the presence of oxides and sulphide minerals that are released into the natural environment during the geological process of weathering which introduce both essential and, potentially harmful elements. Of great concern is the fact that majority of the Ghanaian population eat locally cultivated food and expect to be nourished from the diet. Furthermore, archived reports on Ghana rural drinking water indicates most of the aquifers are enriched in As and F while deficient in Mg. Medical geology, the emerging discipline that attempts to address the environmental health issues emanating from geological processes is known in developed nations but not much of its activities are recognized in Ghana. This review has identified the concentrations of a number of elements in different geological settings and have linked these concentrations with health issues. There is therefore a need for medical geologists to work together with other disciplines to devise preventive as well as mitigative techniques in addressing many geology related health issues in Ghana.

Ten samples of 100 g weight were subsampled from 1400 g of the clay balls from which the contained trace element levels were determined by X-ray fluorescence technique. The results of trace elements in the clay balls were calibrated using certified reference materials “MAJMON” and “BH-1.” The results showed elevated concentrations but with different concentration levels in the regions, particularly with arsenic, chromium, cobalt, Cs, Zr and La. These trace elements contained in the clay balls are known to be hazardous to human health. Thence the relatively high concentrations of these listed trace elements in clay balls in the three regions, namely Ashanti, Upper East and Volta, which are widely sold in markets in Ghana, could present negative health impact on consumers if consumed at 70 g per day or more and on regular basis. On the basis of these, the study concludes an investigation to establish breakeven range for trace element concentrations in the clay balls as it has been able to demonstrate the uneven and elevated values in them. The standardized safe ranges of trace elements will make the practice safer for the people that ingest clay balls in Ghana.