From the ground up: Unveiling Ghana's soil quality crisis and its ecological and health implications
This study reviews the sources and factors impacting soil quality in Ghana and the associated health and environmental implications. After sourcing 386 materials from different search engines, these were subjected to content evaluation and novelty/concept analysis with a score of 100% and 146 were r...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-03-01
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Series: | Innovation and Green Development |
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Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949753123000656 |
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author | Ebenezer Ebo Yahans Amuah Bernard Fei-Baffoe Raymond Webrah Kazapoe Paul Dankwa Isaac Kwaku Okyere Lyndon Nii Adjiri Sackey Douti Biyogue Nang Prosper Kpiebaya |
author_facet | Ebenezer Ebo Yahans Amuah Bernard Fei-Baffoe Raymond Webrah Kazapoe Paul Dankwa Isaac Kwaku Okyere Lyndon Nii Adjiri Sackey Douti Biyogue Nang Prosper Kpiebaya |
author_sort | Ebenezer Ebo Yahans Amuah |
collection | DOAJ |
description | This study reviews the sources and factors impacting soil quality in Ghana and the associated health and environmental implications. After sourcing 386 materials from different search engines, these were subjected to content evaluation and novelty/concept analysis with a score of 100% and 146 were retained for this study. From this review, agricultural, mining, urban, and industrial activities, poor waste disposal, and vehicular and road traffic were the main sources/factors influencing the levels/distributions of soil contaminates in Ghana's pedological system. Pesticides including chlorpyrifos, β-hexachlorocyclohexane, p,p'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, hexachlorobenzene and heptachlor have also been identified in elevated levels. Also, heavy metals have been detected in dumpsites and e-waste disposal sites. HMs such as Zn (558), Cr (77), Cu (347), As (4.2), and Pb (288) (mg/kg) dominated waste disposal sites in Ghana. Extremely low levels of macro-nutrients and soil organic carbon with high metals/metalloids contents including Hg, Zn, Pb, Cu and As prevail in mining areas in Ghana. It is concluded that Ghana's pedological system is threatened by anthropogenic activities resulting in the detection of above-threshold levels of contaminants including agrochemicals, PAHs, HMs, and metalloids. These contaminants pose deleterious environmental and health implications. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-08T15:30:18Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-44101bd7cdf6449b99d7c46bb2b2b4c7 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2949-7531 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-08T15:30:18Z |
publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
publisher | Elsevier |
record_format | Article |
series | Innovation and Green Development |
spelling | doaj.art-44101bd7cdf6449b99d7c46bb2b2b4c72024-01-10T04:39:37ZengElsevierInnovation and Green Development2949-75312024-03-0131100097From the ground up: Unveiling Ghana's soil quality crisis and its ecological and health implicationsEbenezer Ebo Yahans Amuah0Bernard Fei-Baffoe1Raymond Webrah Kazapoe2Paul Dankwa3Isaac Kwaku Okyere4Lyndon Nii Adjiri Sackey5Douti Biyogue Nang6Prosper Kpiebaya7Department of Environmental Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; Corresponding author.Department of Environmental Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, GhanaDepartment of Geological Engineering, University for Development Studies, Tamale, GhanaDepartment of Environmental Science, C. K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Navrongo, GhanaDepartment of Measurement and Evaluation, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, GhanaDepartment of Environmental Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, GhanaDepartment of Environmental Science, C. K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Navrongo, GhanaDepartment of Soil Science, University for Development Studies, P. O. Box TL 1882, Nyanpkala, GhanaThis study reviews the sources and factors impacting soil quality in Ghana and the associated health and environmental implications. After sourcing 386 materials from different search engines, these were subjected to content evaluation and novelty/concept analysis with a score of 100% and 146 were retained for this study. From this review, agricultural, mining, urban, and industrial activities, poor waste disposal, and vehicular and road traffic were the main sources/factors influencing the levels/distributions of soil contaminates in Ghana's pedological system. Pesticides including chlorpyrifos, β-hexachlorocyclohexane, p,p'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, hexachlorobenzene and heptachlor have also been identified in elevated levels. Also, heavy metals have been detected in dumpsites and e-waste disposal sites. HMs such as Zn (558), Cr (77), Cu (347), As (4.2), and Pb (288) (mg/kg) dominated waste disposal sites in Ghana. Extremely low levels of macro-nutrients and soil organic carbon with high metals/metalloids contents including Hg, Zn, Pb, Cu and As prevail in mining areas in Ghana. It is concluded that Ghana's pedological system is threatened by anthropogenic activities resulting in the detection of above-threshold levels of contaminants including agrochemicals, PAHs, HMs, and metalloids. These contaminants pose deleterious environmental and health implications.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949753123000656Pedological pollutionSources and factorsEnvironmental and health implicationsGhanaReview |
spellingShingle | Ebenezer Ebo Yahans Amuah Bernard Fei-Baffoe Raymond Webrah Kazapoe Paul Dankwa Isaac Kwaku Okyere Lyndon Nii Adjiri Sackey Douti Biyogue Nang Prosper Kpiebaya From the ground up: Unveiling Ghana's soil quality crisis and its ecological and health implications Innovation and Green Development Pedological pollution Sources and factors Environmental and health implications Ghana Review |
title | From the ground up: Unveiling Ghana's soil quality crisis and its ecological and health implications |
title_full | From the ground up: Unveiling Ghana's soil quality crisis and its ecological and health implications |
title_fullStr | From the ground up: Unveiling Ghana's soil quality crisis and its ecological and health implications |
title_full_unstemmed | From the ground up: Unveiling Ghana's soil quality crisis and its ecological and health implications |
title_short | From the ground up: Unveiling Ghana's soil quality crisis and its ecological and health implications |
title_sort | from the ground up unveiling ghana s soil quality crisis and its ecological and health implications |
topic | Pedological pollution Sources and factors Environmental and health implications Ghana Review |
url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949753123000656 |
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