Table 2 - uploaded by David K Essumang
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![Figure 1: Map of Talensi-Nabdam District showing the study area [6].](profile/David-Essumang/publication/294888825/figure/fig1/AS:330424002859016@1455790630215/Map-of-Talensi-Nabdam-District-showing-the-study-area-6_Q320.jpg)
![Figure 2: Map showing mining settlements [14].](profile/David-Essumang/publication/294888825/figure/fig2/AS:330424007053314@1455790630484/Map-showing-mining-settlements-14_Q320.jpg)
Background: The presence of gold deposits discovered in rural areas in Ghana has attracted a lot of unemployed youth and smallscale mining ventures to the rural communities. The activities of illegal small-scale gold mining (locally referred to as “galamsey”) in the community is causing serious environmental havoc and destruction. The results of he...
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Context 1
... accuracy and reproducibility of the analytical procedure was determined by spiking and homogenizing three replicates of each of three samples selected at random. Triplicate of each sample was spiked with three different concentrations of the element of interest as follows: Pb ( Table 2. The absorbances measured by the AAS were converted to concentrations using standard calibration curves. ...
Citations
... Its total land area is 244.94 km 2 [21] Fig. 1. The topography is naturally undulating lowlands with gentle slopes ranging from 1% to 5% gradient with few hilly terrains mainly of quartzite and gneiss formations [22]. The underline rocks fall within Ghana's Tarkwaian, Birimian and Voltarian rocks [23]. ...
Mining generates large volumes of waste, which if not regulated can release toxic metals, causing widespread environmental contamination. This study focused on heavy metal contamination in topsoil within a mining area at Nangodi in the Northern Region of Ghana. A total of 24 soil samples were collected from the study area and control samples were analyzed for Hg, Pb, Cd, As, Cr, and Fe using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Results of Pollution Index estimations and Geo-accumulation index (Igeo) classified the soil samples as moderately contaminated to heavily contaminated. Soil samples were severely enriched with As and moderately enriched with b, and Hg. Multivariate analyses such as factor analysis and cluster analysis were employed to examine the relationship between the metals and also differentiate the influence of the natural background content of metals from that due to human activities. Factor analysis identified three polluted soil factor associations. Cadmium, Fe, As, and Pb associated with factor 1, were due to anthropogenic activities. The high intercorrelation revealed by As and Pb shows similarity in their sources. Factor two dominated by Hg is considered an anthropogenic component. Factor 3 correlated with Cr and can be considered a natural component. Correlation analysis and cluster analysis supported each other. Results from the bi-plots showed that sites S1, S8, S11, and S18, have similar metal composition as the control site. Heavy metal contents in soils sampled from Zones A and B have been influenced by the mining activities as seen from the associations of these sites in the bi-plots. The results are useful for metal source identification, and can contribute to monitoring and regulatory programs.
About nine million Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) workers in Africa and people living near ASGM activities are highly exposed to geogenic and anthropogenic potentially toxic elements (PTEs). Despite the hazards and risks posed by ASGM being well characterized, coordinated multidisciplinary environmental characterization with combined public health studies are limited, with often piecemeal and snapshot studies reported, as highlighted by this review. Furthermore, studies are often not connected with efforts to minimize hazards holistically. Given this, we systematically reviewed the scientific literature on human health hazards associated with ASGM in Africa through Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Pubmed databases. One hundred and seventy-three peer-reviewed papers published between 1996 and June 2023 from 30 African countries were identified. Toxicological environmental hazards were reported in 102 peer-reviewed papers, notably As, Cd, CN, Cr, Hg, Pb, respirable SiO2-laden dust, and radionuclides. Exposure to PTEs in human biomonitoring matrices and associated health impacts were documented in 71 papers. Hg was the most reported hazard. Gaps in research robustness, regulation and policy framework, technology, risk detection, surveillance, and management were found. Despite international and in-country mitigation efforts, ASGM-related hazards in Africa are worsening. This review paper highlights the need for coordinated action and multidisciplinary collaborative research to connect dispersed isolated studies to better characterize the associated disease burden associated with ASGM in Africa and sustainably maximize the wider benefits of ASGM whilst protecting public health and the environment.
