A human health risk assessment of artisanal miners exposed to toxic metals in water bodies and sediments in the PresteaHuni Valley District of Ghana was carried out in this study, in line with US EPA risk assessment guidelines. A total of 70 water and 30 sediment samples were collected from surface water bodies in areas impacted by the operations of artisanal small-scale gold mines in the study...

The purpose of this study was to identify the concentration of multi-elements (MEs) in source water (surface and drinking water) and assess their quality for sustainability. A total of 161 water samples including 88 tap drinking waters (DW) and 73 surface waters (SW) were collected from five cities in Xi'an, Yan'an, Xining, Lanzhou, and Urumqi in northwestern China. Eighteen parameters includin...

OBJECTIVES To measure current Hg, Cd, and Pb exposure in Japanese children, and to estimate dietary intakes of foods responsible for high body burden. METHODS Blood, hair, and urine samples were collected from 9 to 10-year-old 229 children in Asahikawa and measured for Hg, Cd, and Pb in these matrices. Diet history questionnaire was used to estimate intake of marine foods and other food items...

Historically, the USEPA has only considered water hardness when establishing acute and chronic water quality criteria (WQC) for lead (Pb) in freshwater. Yet, recent evidence suggests that hardness may not be protective during chronic Pb exposure and that other factors (e.g., dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and alkalinity) influence toxicity. In fact, we have recently shown that Ca(2+) (as CaSO(4...

From devastation Comes Hope Even as the Gulf Coast grapples with possibly its worst environmental catastrophe ever, a silver lining has emerged from the devastation of the stormy summer of 2005: both soil lead levels and children’s blood lead levels fell dramatically across New Orleans, Louisiana, after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita swept in clean sediment over the city’s lead-contaminated soil.1...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the current status of metal pollution in the sediment from rivers, lakes, and streams in active gold mining districts in Ghana. Two hundred and fifty surface sediment samples from 99 locations were collected and analyzed for concentrations of As, Hg, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Zn, Pb, Cd, Ni, and Mn using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). M...

In recent years, a significant number of environmental studies have been conducted in New Orleans, LA and surrounding Gulf Coast areas due in part to the occurrence of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Data collected from studies in the New Orleans area indicate that inorganic contaminants including arsenic (As), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), and vanadium (V); high concentration of bioaerosols, particularly...

In the residential area of the North Coast of the Persian Gulf, consumption of fish is a possible source of exposure to heavy metals and other pollutants, all of which may act as potential risk factors for serious syndromes and fatal diseases. Health risks associated with Pb, Cd, and Hg were assessed based on the target hazard quotients (THQ), which can be derived from concentrations of heavy m...