Consumption of geophagic materials can be detrimental to human health. These materials, which are harvested from the natural environment, can contain high concentrations of potentially harmful elements and minerals. In this study, mineralogical and geochemical investigation of geophagic rock materials consumed by the local population in Baringo town, in Kenya, was conducted to assess its possible health effects. Twelve representative samples were purchased from an open market in Baringo town for this investigation. Optical and scanning electron microscope as well as X-ray diffractometer was used to determine the mineralogy as well as the morphology of the minerals present in the studied samples. The material is composed of about 10 to 20% coarse to very coarse (0.38–3.00 mm) and semi-rounded to angular crystals of quartz, feldspars, and amphiboles, together with lithic fragments occurring in a fine-grained matrix. X-ray fluorescence and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry were used to determine the major and trace elements composition, respectively. The analyses show that elements such as Si, Fe, Mn, Al, Hg, Cr, Cd, and Pb are particularly above their recommended daily allowances. This study assumes 100% bioavailability of elements in the geophagic materials, in the absence of a bioaccessibility test. Therefore, the consumption of some of the revealed elements, based on this assumption, can be detrimental due to possible short- and/or long-term health effects. From a mineralogical point of view, the presence of feldspar and quartz with Moh’s hardness of 6 and 7, respectively, and their coarse and angular morphology may cause damage to the dental enamel and the gastrointestinal tract. From a geochemical point of view, the high concentrations of the revealed chemical elements can have various health effects including, but not limited to neurotoxic effects, which are critical in prenatal exposure, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer amongst other serious diseases.

食土材料的消耗可能对人类健康有害。这些从自然环境中收获的材料可能含有高浓度的潜在有害元素和矿物质。在这项研究中，对肯尼亚巴林戈镇当地居民食用的自噬岩材料进行了矿物学和地球化学调查，以评估其可能的健康影响。本次调查从巴林戈镇的一个公开市场购买了 12 个有代表性的样品。使用光学和扫描电子显微镜以及 X 射线衍射仪来确定研究样品中存在的矿物的矿物学和形态。该材料由大约 10% 到 20% 的粗到非常粗（0.38-3.00 毫米）和半圆形到角状的石英、长石和角闪石晶体组成，与出现在细粒基质中的岩屑一起。X 射线荧光和电感耦合等离子体质谱分别用于测定主要和微量元素组成。分析表明，Si、Fe、Mn、Al、Hg、Cr、Cd 和 Pb 等元素特别高于其推荐的每日允许量。本研究假设在没有生物可及性测试的情况下，地食材料中元素的生物利用度为 100%。因此，基于此假设，食用某些揭示的元素可能会由于可能的短期和/或长期健康影响而有害。从矿物学的角度来看，莫氏硬度分别为6和7的长石和石英的存在，并且它们粗糙和棱角分明的形态可能对牙釉质和胃肠道造成损害。从地球化学的角度来看，所揭示的高浓度化学元素会对健康产生各种影响，包括但不限于神经毒性作用，这对产前暴露、神经退行性疾病和癌症等严重疾病至关重要。