BackgroundUnderground water is an important natural resource serving as a reliable source of drinking water for many people worldwide, especially in developing countries. Underground water quality needs to be given a primary research and quality control attention due to possible contamination. This study was therefore designed to determine the physico-chemical and bacteriological quality of borehole water in the Upper West and Northern regions of Ghana.MethodsThe study was conducted in seven districts in Ghana (including six in the Upper West region and one in the Northern region). The bacterial load of the water samples was determined using standard microbiological methods. Physico-chemical properties including pH, total alkalinity, temperature, turbidity, true colour, total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity, total hardness, calcium hardness, magnesium hardness, total iron, calcium ion, magnesium ion, chloride ion, fluoride ion, aluminium ion, arsenic, ammonium ions, nitrate and nitrite concentrations were determined. The values obtained were compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) standards for drinking water.ResultsThe recorded pH, total alkalinity and temperature ranges were 6.14–7.50, 48–240 mg/l and 28.8–32.8 °C, respectively. Furthermore, the mean concentrations of iron, calcium, magnesium, chloride, fluoride, aluminium, arsenic, ammonium, nitrate and nitrite were 0.06, 22.11, 29.84, 13.97, 0.00, 0.00, 0.00, 0.01, 2.09 and 0.26 mg/l, respectively. Turbidity, true colour, TDS and electrical conductivity of the water samples ranged from 0.13 to 105 NTU, 5 to 130 HU, 80.1 to 524 mg/l and 131 to 873 µS/cm, respectively. In addition, the mean total hardness value was found to be 178.07 mg/l whereas calcium hardness and magnesium hardness respectively were 55.28 and 122.79 mg/l. Only 14% of the water samples tested positive for faecal coliforms.ConclusionThe study revealed that only a few of the values for the bacteriological and physico-chemical parameters of the water samples were above the tolerable limits recommended by the WHO. This calls for regular monitoring and purification of boreholes to ensure good water quality.

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The study was to analyze and determine the toxic metal contamination level of locally produced tobacco sold in the Tamale Metropolis of Northern region. The study was carried out at the Tamale Metropolis of Northern region of Ghana within a period of 12 months. The study focused on the analyses of five (5) toxic metal contaminants in twelve (12) variant locally produced tobacco sold in various spots within the Tamale Metropolis of Ghana. Toxic metals including As, Cd, Hg, Pb and Cr were analyzed using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The mean recorded concentrations of As, Cd, Hg, Pb and Cr were respectively in the ranges of 0.184 ± 0.011 to 0.515 ± 0.015 µg/kg, 0.0420 ± 0.010 to 3.100 ± 0.000 µg/kg, 0.176 ± 0.016 to 0.291 ± 0.009 µg/kg, 1.169 ± 0.019 to 3.195 ± 0.019 µg/kg and 1.600 ± 0.116 to 3.880 ± 0.369 µg/kg. The mean concentrations of As and Pb measured in all samples tested were below their respective WHO permissible limits of 4.00 ppm and 10.00 ppm. In the case of Cd, mean concentrations measured for all locally produced tobacco tested were above the WHO permissible limits of 0.30 ppm. For the metal Hg, levels measured in 75% of tested locally produced tobacco were slightly above the WHO permissible limit of 0.20 µg/kg. Cr levels measured in 30% of tested locally produced tobacco were below the WHO permissible limits of 2.00 µg/kg. The very presence of these metals typically raises health concerns on consumption in the instances where their levels exceeded permissible guideline limits. The study revealed that Cd, Hg and Cr levels in the locally produced tobacco studied were found to exceed the WHO permissible limits for human consumption by plant uptake with As and Pb levels well below their permissible thresholds. The analyzed locally produced tobacco essentially poses a threat of heavy metal toxicity to consumers via bioaccumulation and bio-concentration in human tissues.

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The contamination of cereals by heavy metals due to illegal mining activities in most farming communities has been a major challenge to food production in Ghana. The research is thus to examine bio-accumulation of heavy metals (Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As), Iron (Fe), Lead (Pd) and Zinc (Zn)) concentration in Maize and Millet grown near illegal mining sites at Poyentanga. The study area was divided into five farming zones (farm 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) and soil and crop samples were taken from each of the zones to the laboratory for analysis using the Atomic Absorption Spectrometer and the results compared to World Health Organization (WHO) permissible limits. The results indicated presence of the selected heavy metals in the cereals and soils sampled from the community. Cd, Pb and Fe concentrations in the cereals were found to be above the WHO permissible limits whereas As and Zn concentrations were below. The soil concentrations of all the five heavy metals were extremely below the WHO permissible limits. It was also observed that farms near the mining sites have higher concentrations with the concentration in the maize being lower than that of Millet. The contamination levels in both cereals are as follows: Zn < As < Fe < Pb < Cd. The bioaccumulation ratio indicated that Cd, As and Pb levels were higher in Millet whereas Fe and Zn were highest in the Maize. These results therefore show that the consumption of these cereals for a very long time could have adverse health effect on the community and an indication that activities of illegal mining could thus affect the quality and safety of food produced in many farming communities. The research was concluded with recommendations to improve agricultural activities in such communities.