Trace elements determination and health risk assessment of groundwater sources in Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana.

Trace element (TEs) contamination in groundwater is a key factor for health risk assessment and one of the environmental challenges linked with Ghana's sustainable development. This study aims to investigate TE concentrations in groundwater used for drinking and domestic purposes and their potential health risk in the Kumasi Metropolis using multivariate statistics. In the study, 23 groundwater samples were analyzed for 32 TEs using Perkin Elmer Nexion 2000 Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). Levels of TEs recorded in the study were in order of Na > Si > Ca > K > Mg > S > Ba > Cu > Zn > Al > Sr > Li > Mn > P > Fe > B > Pb > Ni > Co > Bi > Se > Sb > Cr > As > Ti > Be > V > U > C d > T l > Mo > Hg. The study revealed that the concentration of trace and toxic elements like Al, Cu, and Pb exceeded their corresponding WHO permissible standards. Hazard index (HI) values and total likely cancer risk (TLCR) values for non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks indicate that 91.3% of the total sampling sites presented health concerns to adults and children. The mean TLCR values associated with exposure to carcinogenic metals via ingestion of groundwater samples were estimated to be 2.09 × 10-4 and 4.44 × 10-4 for adults and children respectively. Exposure through the ingestion pathway was found to be more risky compared to dermal contacts. Children are particularly vulnerable to these health hazards. Pearson correlation (PC) matrix, principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) suggested that sources of TEs in the groundwater are attributed to both anthropogenic and geogenic factors.

Microplastics in Ghana: An in-depth review of research, environmental threats, sources, and impacts on ecosystems and human health.

Microplastics pose significant challenges on a global scale. In Ghana, these tiny pollutants infiltrate diverse ecosystems such as coastal areas, rivers, lakes, and forests, vital to the nation's economy and social well-being. This review examines the current depth of knowledge in research and the escalating concern of microplastics, identifying significant gaps in research and understanding. The findings highlight the limited understanding of the extent and distribution of microplastic pollution across different environmental compartments, primarily focusing on coastal environments. Additionally, detection and quantification techniques for microplastics face several complexities and limitations in the Ghanaian context due to constraints such as infrastructure, resources, and expertise. Despite some research efforts, particularly along the coastline, there is still a distinct lack of attention in various regions and ecosystems within Ghana. This imbalance in research focus hinders the understanding and effective mitigation of microplastics in the country. This therefore necessitates the implementation of systematic policy frameworks, emphasizing the importance of recycling and upcycling as effective strategies to address the challenges of microplastics in Ghana with more targeted research and public engagement. This review serves as a call to action for a strategic approach to research and policy-making on microplastic research and pollution in Ghana.

Assessment of irrigation water quality for vegetable farming in peri-urban Kumasi.

Polluted water contains a variety of toxic compounds that tend to affect human health. Farmers have recently looked at runoff wastewater as a source of irrigation water because it comes at no cost and is a more efficient alternative to potable water due to the high demand but limited supply. This present study assesses the quality and suitability of water sources used for irrigation at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology vegetable farmlands. The study specifically investigated the quality of water used for irrigation with the following parameters: pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, chloride, chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand, oil and grease, fluoride, nitrate, nitrite, sulphate, sodium, calcium, magnesium, sodium adsorption potential, alkalinity, conductivity, phosphate, Escherichia coli, fecal and total coliforms. The results revealed that the water contained moderate levels of chloride and could be good for plant growth. The total coliform counts range from 2.1 × 106 to 4.15 × 107 MPN/100 mL, suggesting a relatively high microbial load in the irrigation water. The results also suggested that the sodium absorption ratio was very low and may not affect the quality of water for irrigation purposes. Fe levels far exceed the 5 mg/L maximum acceptable limits recommended by the WHO and FAO for the irrigation of vegetables. The high Fe concentration could discolor the leaves of some plants, especially foliage leaves. However, the levels of Cd were within the WHO maximum permissible limit of 0.01 mg/L.