Medical geological study of disease-causing elements in Wassa area of Southwest Ghana.

Insufficient information on the link between health data and geology in developing countries is a major barrier to identify sources of some emerging public health problems. A total of 2868 soil samples were collected from field sheet 0503B in Ghana to evaluate the concentrations and distributions of trace elements and their effects on human health. The samples were sieved to < 106 µm fraction and analysed for elements, As, Ba, K, Zn, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Mg and Fe by XRF technique and Au by fire assay method. The study identified disparities in averages of As, Cr, Fe and Mg, which resulted in enrichment and deficiencies when compared with the worldwide background average. The measured averages for As and Cr were 17.27 mg/kg and 89.25 mg/kg, respectively, for the entire area. Both averages exceeded the worldwide background values of 10 mg/kg and 8 mg/kg of As and Cr. The four traditional towns with varied activities recorded As concentrations ranging from 6.11 mg/kg at Samreboi, 16.29 mg/kg at Asankragwa, 17.42 mg/kg at Akropong and 25.99 mg/kg at Bogoso. Principal component analysis revealed a good association among Ba, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Ni, Pb and Zn in Group 1, and their main source was interpreted as the underlying geology. Arsenic, Cr and Mg in Group 2 show a relatively weak correlation, and their sources were ascribed to a combination of geologic and anthropogenic sources. Gold had a good correlation with As, which was associated with the hydrothermal veins in the underlying rocks. The spatial plots generated from transformed soil data by Getis Ord Gi* treatments were visual methods to clearly identify geographically the hotspots and coldspots of elements that cause diseases.

Application of a hybrid BWM-TOPSIS approach for mineral potential mapping.

Many mineral predictive models created based on multicriteria decision making (MCDM) methods use only one conceptually-based MCDM technique for data integration and synthesis of the mineral-related predictors. It is noteworthy that relying on just one mode of the conceptually-based data integration technique is often insufficient, as it fails to address the problems the other mode (in terms of either determining the weights of the predictors or by ranking and prioritising the predictors) deals with before the predictors are synthesised. Herein, a hybrid conceptually-based data integration approach comprising the best-worst method (BWM) and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity (TOPSIS) methods have been adopted in mapping viable regions of gold mineralisation occurrences over the Abansuoso Area of Ghana's Ashanti Region. The combined use of these two conceptually-based data integration approaches is rare in the literature, particularly in Ghana and West Africa. Based on the aforementioned approach, weights of nine predictors which were sourced from geological and geophysical datasets comprising magnetics and radiometrics were estimated using the BWM approach to determine their comparative importance towards the gold prospect of the study area. Afterwards, the TOPSIS approach was applied to prioritise and rank the various alternatives that makeup the predictors identified for this study. Subsequently, a predictive model that defines the spatial distribution of the mineral prospects of the study area was developed and was referred to as BWM-TOPSIS based mineral potential map (MPM). The BWM-TOPSIS-based MPM was further classified to characterise zones of low, moderate and high mineral potential, with their resulting areal extents being respectively 237.13 km2, 225.66 km2 and 127.45 km2. An evaluation of the MPM developed based on the BWM-TOPSIS technique was conducted by implementing the prediction-area (P-A) plot. Outputs from the P-A plot indicate that 30 % of the study area has high prospect with 70 % of the existing gold locations observed within it. Additionally, the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the MPM developed. The MPM generated based on the BWM-TOPSIS approach yielded an AUC score of 0.81; this AUC score indicates that the performance of the predictive model developed is very good.

Are used face masks handled as infectious waste? Novel pollution driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The extensive use of face masks has raised concerns about environmental pollution through improper disposal of used face masks after the emergence of COVID-19. The increasing use of PPEs to preventing the spread of COVID-19 has resulted in several environmental hazards, creating a new environmental barrier for solid waste management and worsened plastic pollution. This study aimed at assessing the occurrence and distribution of face masks in a metropolitan (Adum - Kumasi), municipal (Ejisu), community (Abenase) and an institution (KNUST) in Ghana. The study showed that a total of 535 face masks were numerated along a stretch of 1,720 m with a density ranging from 0.04 m to 0.42 m. A no significant relationship (P = 0.602) was established between the observation distances and the number of waste face masks numerated. The study also showed that for a 1% increase in the number of face masks on working days, there would be a 0.775% increase in non-working days. A review of literature showed that the disposal of used face masks results in the release of micro- and nano-plastics, Pb, Cu, Sb, Zn, Mn, Ti, Fe and Ca into environmental media. Plastic pollution may be a concern to ecosystems due to its persistence in the environment, lack of environmental awareness, sensitization and education, and poor waste management systems. To ensure a sustainable management of waste face masks, significant efforts are needed. These may include proper disposal, redesigning and producing masks from biodegradable materials, incorporating waste face masks into construction materials, and recycling PPE by pyrolyzing are suggested options for the effective management of face masks.

Sachet water quality and Vendors' practices in Damongo, northern Ghana during the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 using multivariate statistics, water quality and pollution indices, and panel assessment.

The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 has affected several production services including the water production and delivery processes. This study considered sachet water quality during the advent of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic using multivariate statistics and Water Quality Index, Water Pollution Index and, hygienic and sanitation practices of sixty-two (62) sachet water vendors using a panel assessment approach. The findings showed that vendors did not adhere to proper hygienic practices as ninety-four (94%) of them did not have health clearance, ninety (90%) did not frequently wash their receptacles for selling daily, and most of them stored and sold in unhygienic environments. Majority of the producers violated Food and Drugs Authority Regulations. The Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis showed that total iron, Total Heterotrophic Bacteria, Salmonella, Cl-, E. coli, and fecal and total coliforms were the controlling elements in the water. All the brands were below threshold limits based on the physical water assessment. However, enteric bacteria were observed in all the brands. Water Quality and Water Pollution Indices (WQI and WPI) described all the sachet water brands (vendors and production sites) as excellent for drinking. The WQI computations for samples from the production and vending sites respectively ranged from 0.12 to 0.36 and 0.27-0.42 whereas WPI presented 0.22-0.31 and 0.23-0.32. Comparatively, samples from vendors had elevated elemental concentrations and loads. This suggests that besides sachet water contamination during production and transportation, vendors significantly impacted the quality of sachet water. Sensitization on proper hygienic practices for sachet water production and vending and routine assessment of the quality of sachet water produced or sold is recommended.