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Quality and health risk assessment of trace elements in groundwater within the Vea catchment of the Upper East Region, Ghana

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Abstract

Increasingly, contamination of groundwater by trace elements (TEs) with their accompanying health effects on humans is on the rise and requires continuous monitoring to allow for evaluation purposes. The water quality and health risks of TEs in groundwater in the Vea catchment in the Upper East Region of Ghana had been evaluated using the Nemerow pollution index, contamination index, hazard quotient (HQ), hazard index, and cancer risk assessment tools. Results from sampled boreholes in the study area indicated that the levels of Mn, Fe, Zn, As, Ni, and Pb exceeded the WHO’s acceptable limits for drinking water. Analysis of estimated contamination indices revealed that groundwater in the area was moderate to highly contaminated. The HQ, hazard indices, as well as carcinogenic risk assessment values indicated that adults and children were prone to potential non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health-related issues such as anemia and cancer of the kidney. The southern, central, northern, and northeastern parts of the catchment were potentially at high risk of both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health issues due to exposure to As-, Ni-, and Pb-contaminated groundwater. Bongo, Somborogo, and Kabere communities in the study area require particular attention and monitoring for these TEs’ contamination.

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Data availability

The data are available upon request at the corresponding author’s institution.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the efforts of Mr. Musah Issah for the time spent in driving during sample collection. The valuable revisions from the anonymous reviewers of the paper have helped shaped and improved the quality of the paper, and this is much appreciated by the authors.

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No funding was received for conducting this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geological Engineering, School of Engineering, University for Development Studies, P.O. Box TL 1350, Tamale, Ghana

    M. S. Zango, M. Anim-Gyampo & M. Abu

  2. Department of Applied Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Applied Sciences, CK Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences, P.O. Box 24, Navrongo, Ghana

    K. B. Pelig-Ba

  3. Water Resources Research Center, National Nuclear Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Box LG 80, Legon-Accra, Ghana

    A. Gibrilla

  4. Department of Water Resources and Aquaculture Management, School of Sustainable Development, University of Environment and Sustainable Development, Somanya, Eastern Region, Ghana

    A. Gibrilla

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  1. M. S. Zango
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Contributions

MSZ involved in conceptualization, investigation, data curation, formal analysis, methodology, visualization, and writing—original draft preparation; KBP-B involved in supervision; MA-G involved in writing—reviewing and editing; AG involved in writing—reviewing and editing; MA involved in investigation, data curation, and writing––reviewing and editing.

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Correspondence to M. S. Zango.

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Zango, M.S., Pelig-Ba, K.B., Anim-Gyampo, M. et al. Quality and health risk assessment of trace elements in groundwater within the Vea catchment of the Upper East Region, Ghana. Int J Energ Water Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42108-023-00274-9

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