Browsing by Author "Addo, M.A."
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Item Contamination of soils and loss of productivity of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) caused by cement dust pollution(Int. J. Res. Chem. Environ., 2013) Gordon, C.; Darko, E. O.; Addo, M.A.; Nyarko, B.J.B.The effects of air pollution at the Diamond Cement (DIACEM) facility area on soil and cowpea plant (Vigna unguiculata L.) were observed using potted plants in areas close to the cement factory and control plants 7.9 km upwind of the factory. The results obtained indicated that soil parameters like pH, exchangeable cations (Ca, Mg and Na), phosphate and some heavy metals were elevated compared to controls. The cement dust around the factory had a significant reduction in the morphological and yield parameters including, chlorophyll content, leaf area, shoot length and pod length and weight in cowpea plant (Vigna unguiculata L.). The level of reduction was inversely proportional to the distance from the cement factory. The reduction in level of these variables may be attributed to the air borne cement factory emissions which contain toxic chemicals. The data obtained for both soil and plant contamination conforms to other studies. The study concludes that air pollution emitted from cement plants adversely affect soils and agricultural production in their immediate vicinities. It is recommended that the location of cement factories should take into consideration the positioning of arable croplands and that more stringent pollution control measures to reduce airborne particulates should be put in place.Item Evaluation of Heavy Metals Contamination of Soil and Vegetation in the Vicinity of a Cement Factory in the Volta Region, Ghana(International Journal of Science and Technology, 2012) Addo, M.A.; Darko, E.O.; Gordon, C.; Nyarko, B.J.B.; Gbadago, J.K.; Nyarko, E.; Affum, H.A.; Botwe, B.O.Heavy metal mobilization in the biosphere by human activities has become an important process in the geochemical recycling of these metals. In this work, 34 soil samples and 29 Tephrosia elegans plants collected in the vicinity of the Diamond Cement Factory, Aflao, Ghana were analyzed for As, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn using energy dispersive XRF. The results of the metal analysis indicated that some metallic levels were in excess of natural background and critical limits for the soil and plants respectively. The results further revealed that the metal distribution were in a fluctuating manner considering various distances and directions from the cement facility. However, it was observed that the mean metal concentrations of the soil and plants decrease as distance from the cement facility increased for most metals. This indicated that the facility which is the only industrial source in the area is the major cause of the pollutants contamination in its vicinity. In an attempt to understand the pattern of metal contamination in the area, useful tools including enrichment factor, geoaccumulation index and pollution load index were employed to indicate the sources of soil contamination were anthropogenic in character. Recommendations for the need for other studies on environmental and human health around the cement and similar facilities to protect human life and the environment are suggested.Item Heavy Metal Concentrations in Road Deposited Dust at Ketu-South District, Ghana(International Journal of Science and Technology, 2012) Addo, M.A.; Darko, E.O.; Gordon, C.; Nyarko, B.J.B.; Gbadago, J.K.Increasing air pollution levels due to rapid urbanization and growth in vehicular emission have become a major source of concern. As a result, research on air pollution in urban environments has largely focused on road deposited dust. In the present study, road deposited dust samples collected from the Ketu-South District, Volta Region in Ghana were analyzed for heavy metals (As, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) using energy dispersive XRF. The ranges of metal concentration were: 0.4-18.2 μg/g for As; 284-9106 μg/g for Cr; 18.4-144.1 μg/g for Cu; 233-1240 μg/g for Mn; 12.3-493.2 for Ni; 3.1-67.8 μg/g for Pb; and 18.2-406.5 μg/g for Zn. The highest level of metal contamination was found in the only roadway of an industrial area (cement factory). The lowest contaminated site was noted in a roadway which runs through a host of rural communities. Inter-cities comparison with previous data established that Cr levels in the present study was very high while Pb was very low compared to other cities. Metal contamination assessment status of the metals was made using mathematical models in terms of enrichment factor, geoaccumulation index and contamination factor. All the models agreed that contamination levels is in increasing order of Mn>Ni>Cu>Pb>Zn>As>Cr.Item Heavy metal contaminations in soil and cassava harvested near a cement processing facility in the Volta Region Ghana: Implications of health risk for the population living in the vicinity(e-jst Vol 8 (3): 71-83, 2013) Addo, M.A.; Darko, E.O.; Gordon, C.; Nyarko, B.J.B.Heavy metals concentration of Arsenic, Chromium, Nickel and Lead were determined in fresh cassava crops and the corresponding soils, from which they were harvested, collected in the vicinity of the Diamond Cement Factory (DIACEM) in the Volta Region, Ghana. In addition, similar samples (control) were collected 8km South of DIACEM in an area without charge from industrial influence. The average concentrations of the metals in the cassava were: 0.017μg/g for As, 3.04 μg/g for Cr; 6.76 μg/g for Ni; and 0.86 μg/g for Pb. For the corresponding soils the average concentrations for As, Cr, Ni and Pb were, 0.23, 53.22, 78.35 and 1.37 μg/g respectively. With the exception of Ni, all the metal levels in cassava were higher in the subject samples than in the controls. A similar situation occurred in the case of corresponding soils with Cr replacing Ni as the exception. This observation places much responsibility on the cement plant as the culprit of the higher metals in the samples. All the metal levels in the cassava samples with the exception of As were above permissible levels prescribed by the FAO/WHO for vegetables. The results of the estimated daily intake (EDI) for the metals also observe similar situation when compared to the Provisional Tolerable Daily Intake (PTDI) proposed by FAO/WHO. Values of Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) of heavy metals were calculated to estimate the risk to human health. All the metals values exceeded the safe limit of unity indicating a high human health risk for the population who consume cassava from the area.Item Human Health Risk Assessment Of Airborne Trace Elements For Human Receptors In The Vicinity Of The Diamond Cement Factory, Volta Region, Ghana(WIT Press, International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, 2016) Gordon, C.; Addo, M.A.; Darko, E.O.; Davor, P.; Ameyaw, F.; Affum, H.; Gbadago, J. K.; Dzide, S.In this study, total suspended particulate matter (aerodynamic diameter range between 0.05 and 5 μm) levels in the vicinity of the Diamond Cement (DIACEM) Factory, Aflao, Ghana were measured and analyzed for As, Cr, Ni and Zn using multi-elemental technique of instrumental neutron-activation analysis. The primary objective of the study was to assess the human health risk of the trace metals exposure for children and adult population in four stratified zones in the study area. From the results, the mean dust level (538.92 μg/m3) around the cement facility deviated completely from regulatory specification (150 μg/m3) indicating massive air pollution in the area. The mean concentration (mg/kg) of trace metals in the area were found in the order of Ni (44.38) >Zn (25.65) > Cr (15.26) >As (2.87). The human-risk assessment study indicated that non-carcinogenic risk was insignificant but the risk of cancer could be probable. Ingestion exposure was the highest level of risk found for both adults and children population in the area. The study encourages more work as it cautioned that the current results cannot symbolize a general portrait of the cement industry in Ghana, explaining that similar facilities may differ in their pollution cleaning strategies and environmental conditions.Item Water quality analysis and human health risk assessment of groundwater from open-wells in the vicinity of a cement factory at Akporkloe, South-eastern Ghana.(e-Journal of Science and Technology, 2013) Addo, M.A.; Darko, E.O.; Gordon, C.; Nyarko, B.J.B.The influence of the Diamond Cement (DIACEM) factory at Akporkploe, Volta Region of Ghana on groundwater quality within the environs of the factory was investigated. During the study, groundwater samples were collected from six drinking water supply wells in the east, north-east, north and north-west directions of the cement facility. Quality parameters including temperature, pH, salinity, conductivity and TDS were measures in-situ and XRF analysis was used in the measurement of some heavy metals (As, Cr, Ni and Pb). The study detected that parameters including temperature, salinity, alkalinity and nutrients fell below the WHO permissible level for drinking water. However, some parameters like pH, conductivity, turbidity and TDS adversely deviated from the WHO recommended standards. The high TDS and conductivity levels detected is an indication of high salt content which was attributed to cement dust intrusion. Since, the inhabitants of the study area depends heavily on these wells for drinking and other domestic uses, human health risk assessment studies was also carried out in respect of the heavy metals on the water samples. Apart from arsenic, all the concentrations of the other metals were above stipulated levels specified by the WHO. No non-carcinogenic effects were detected regarding the use of the water from ingestion and dermal contact pathways point of view. Aggregate situation regarding ingestion and dermal contact specified that cancer risk due to the use of the groundwater is possible. Based on these findings the study recommended among others that health authorities should have the groundwater treated before public use.