Browsing by Author "Dankwa, Paul"

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    Compositional and source patterns of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in soils in southwestern Ghana using robust compositional contamination index (RCCI) and k-means cluster analysis
    (Elsevier, 2021) Kazapoe, Raymond Webrah; Amuah, Ebenezer Ebo Yahans; Dankwa, Paul; Ibrahim, Kwabina; Mville, Benatus Norbert; Abubakari, Sadique; Bawa, Naziru
    Soils are heavily impacted by geogenic and anthropogenic factors. They form an integral part in supporting agri-culture, and the natural climate. This study investigated the soil chemistry in the Wassa and Prestea-Huni Valley areas in southwestern Ghana using the RCCI technique and multivariate statistics with utilizing a total of 300 soil samples. The results showed that 43%, 98%, 50%, and 100% of the samples exceeded the standards respectively for As, Ba, Co, and Cu. Meanwhile, for Cr, Ni, Mn, Fe, and Zn, 50%, 54%, 5%, 46%, and 71% were above their guideline values. The RCCI computation showed that 2%, 15%, 48%, 34%, and 1% of the samples were within lower, medium, moderate, high, and very high ranges respectively. The interpolation of the RCCI results revealed sparse but concentrated hotspot areas around mid-Wassa AmenfiCentral, mid- towards the north of the Wassa AmenfiWest and East Districts. Also, the K-means and ANOVA outputs showed that Cu and Ni contributed sig- nificantly to the chemistry of the soil. The EOF 1 showed a weighted sum of V, Fe, Cu, Ni, Zn, Ba, Cr, Ag, and Pb. Inferentially, these contained the highest signals of the data and predominantly influenced the quality and variability of the soils. The variations shown in the levels of the assessed elements across the areas suggest that processes impacting elemental accumulation and enrichment were influenced by different processes. These could also impact other environmental media including surface and groundwater quality, vegetation, and air quality. Residents within hotspot areas may be exposed to several deleterious health impacts through oral, nasal and der- mal routes. This could further pose public health challenges down the line as these elements come into contact with people through the consumption of crops and groundwater obtained from the areas in future. Addressing such a challenge calls for interdisciplinary collaboration between environmental geologist/medical geology re- searchers, public health practitioners, epidemiologists, environmental toxicologists, nutritionists, dieticians, and agriculturists.