Abstract
BackgroundThis study assessed the health and environmental impacts of artisanal gold mining in Ijesha-land, Osun State, Southwestern Nigeria. Fifty-four environmental samples were collected between 2011 and 2012 and analyzed for major, trace and rare earth elements using standard procedures. Samples were collected from surface water (rivers and streams), groundwater, bottom sediments, fish (Tilapia) and aquatic plants (ferns). Data collected were analysed for simple descriptive and inferential statistics using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows (16.0). Human health risk assessment of noncarcinogenic adverse effects of elements in water and fish samples was determined.ResultsHigher concentrations of most major and trace elements were found in groundwater than surface water, while rare earth elements (REEs) were more concentrated in groundwater than surface water. Bottom sediment samples showed highest concentrations of Ti, Cs and Eu for major, trace and rare earth elements, respectively. The major and trace elements were most concentrated in the fish guts. The sum of REEs was observed highest in the fish guts (31.83 ± 35.90 µg kg−1), followed by muscle (18.70 ± 19.37 µg kg−1), while the lowest ΣREEs was measured in the gills (15.78 ± 22.45 µg kg−1). The human health risk assessment revealed low hazard quotient and hazard index values less than 1.0 for trace and rare earth elements in environmental samples.ConclusionsThe data obtained in this study showed that, the artisanal gold mining activities in the study area may contribute to long term environmental and human health risk.
Highlights
This study assessed the health and environmental impacts of artisanal gold mining in Ijesha-land, Osun State, Southwestern Nigeria
High concentration of phosphorus in surface water may be attributable to human activities such as agriculture, land-use and industrialization (Olajire and Imeokparia 2001; Taiwo 2012a, b)
The most abundant trace elements measured in the bottom sediments were Cs, Zr, Ga, Th and Sr
Summary
This study assessed the health and environmental impacts of artisanal gold mining in Ijesha-land, Osun State, Southwestern Nigeria. 2003), where minerals are mined using simple tools and equipment on a small scale (Bradshaw 1997; Hruschka 2011). This practice is an informal sector, which is outside the legal and regulatory framework (Azubike 2011). The discovery of gold in Ijeshaland of Osun State, mined on a small scale basis, provides thousands of indigenous peoples with employment (Taiwo and Awomeso 2017). The negative impacts on the community since the inception of the small scale mining activities were rapid loss of farm lands, water and soil pollution, and problems of managing the mine wastes (Taiwo and Awomeso 2017). Contaminations of surface and ground water bodies have been
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