Abstract
This paper evaluates some geochemical properties of trace metals in peri-urban drainage and bioaccumulation in cassava, plantain, lettuce and sugarcane in the Kumasi metropolis in Ghana, West Africa. The aim is to establish water quality and food safety. Water, sediment and the food crops were sampled along the profiles of Wiwi and Subin rivers for analysis. T-test statistic shows that pH, HCO3, Cl, Cu, As, Pb and Ni are significant in water and sediment. Mean concentrations of Cu, As, Pb and Ni in water and sediment are (0.01mg/l; 3.2mg/kg), (3.08mg/l; 4.9mg/kg), (0.034mg/l; 8.7mg/kg) and (0.021mg/l; 6.1mg/kg), respectively. In water, As, Pb and Ni concentrations are above primary maximum contamination limits of 0.05 mg/l, 0.015 mg/l and 0.020mg/l with metal ratios of 61.54, 2.27 and 1.05, respectively. In sediment, As concentration is above the continental crustal background value of 1.8mg/kg with a metal ratio of 2.72. From geochemical process models: (1) As and Ni adsorbs into sediment and may lead to attenuation in water in closed systems; (2) Cu and Pd are in equilibrium and may affect water quality at higher concentrations. The food crops have trace metals concentrations below reference values and bioaccumulation factors<1. The food crops are therefore excluders, and safe for dietary intake. Members in cassava-plantain-lettuce and cassava-lettuce-sugarcane suites have translocation factors (TFs)>1 for Cu and As, respectively, while lettuce has TF>1 for Pd and Ni. Crops with TF>1 may bioaccumulate the respective trace metals in over a prolonged period.
Highlights
Pollutants in soils are becoming higher by the day due to increasing anthropogenesis (Taghipour, Mosaferi, Armanfar, & Gaemmagami, 2013)
Parameter values were assessed for p-values at 95% confidence level (CL) using the Anderson-Darling test criteria in the Minitab release 14 software are listed in Tables 1 and 2
Under the current environmental conditions, As, Pb and Ni concentrations are above 1o MCL values for drinking water
Summary
Pollutants in soils are becoming higher by the day due to increasing anthropogenesis (Taghipour, Mosaferi, Armanfar, & Gaemmagami, 2013). Trace elements distribution in soils depends on the nature of parent material, weathering processes, human activity and climatic conditions (Rezapour, Golmohammad, & Ramezanpour, 2014; Huot, Simonnot, & Morel, 2015) Metals such as As, Pd and Cd can be highly toxic and exhibit complex behaviours and can enter the food chain; exposure of the elevated levels of trace metals in the environment can pose threat to health and life (Xie, Peng, Wang, & Chen, 2017; Hu, Jia, Hu, Xu, Xia, & Li, 2017). Foli, Gawu and Nude (2015) used SO4 as a conservative tracer in the Obuasi mine environment in Ghana and noted that Fe and As were desorbed into the drainage Food crops such as cassava and plantain, together with fruits and vegetables, traditionally serve as food or dietary energy input for humans in sub-Saharan Africa (Chen, Huang, Lai, & Chen, 2015). The aim was to ensure water quality and food safety in related environments
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