Abstract
The aim of the study was to assess the distribution of heavy metals in the environmental compartments from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) activities from Lolgorian, Kenya. The investigation was carried out using Inductively-Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). Mercury (p > 0.05) (p = 0.755), arsenic (p = 0.182), and lead (p = 0.430) mean concentrations in soil, water, sediments, and ore were not significantly different. The mean mercury, lead, and arsenic concentrations in the water were 0.66 mg/L, 0.46 mg/L, and 1.25 mg/L, respectively. In sediments, the mean values of Cr (66.65 mg/kg), Zn (45.62 mg/kg), Hg (24.63 mg/kg), Pb (22.35 mg/kg), Cd (0.90 mg/kg), and Mn (613.10 mg/kg) were found to be significantly higher. A positive correlation between ore-tailings (r = 0.971109), tailings-sediment (r = 0.9441036), and ore-sediment (r = 0.9441036), was observed indicating the presence of harmful heavy metals in the environment in excess of national and World Health Organization (WHO) recommended threshold, posing a high risk of multiple human exposure pathways.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Mr. Tom Oduor for supporting the laboratory analysis of heavy metals. The study did not receive any funding and the authors certify that they have no any conflict of interest to declare.
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Tampushi, L.L., Onyari, J.M. & Muthama, N.J. Environmental distribution and risk of exposure of Heavy Metal Pollutants from Lolgorian Artisanal Gold Mining in Kenya. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 109, 310–316 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-022-03575-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-022-03575-7