Modelling the distribution of arsenic and mercury in urine using chemometric tools

Abstract Among the heavy metals and other chemicals that contaminate the immediate environment of all gold mining communities, Arsenic and Mercury compounds are some of the most prevalent, exposing residents to their health risks. This menace is the result of the mining activities, particularly, Artisanal and Small-scale gold mining, in these communities. Among the mining areas in Ghana, Artisanal and small-scale gold mining is a recent activity only in the Eastern Region, particularly in the Aduasena, Afosu, Intronang, Hweakwae, New Abirem, Mamano and Hamlets communities. The objective of this research is to investigate the levels of Arsenic and Mercury in the residents of these seven communities using spectroscopic analysis of their urine samples and to identify which gender and at what age does any resident in a typical Ghanaian mining community stand most endangered by the levels of these contaminants. Samples of first urine void of residents upon waking up in the morning were taken, digested with nitric acid and analysed for the concentrations of Arsenic and Mercury using the Perkin Elmer PinAAcle 900T Graphite Furnace AAS. The spectroscopic analysis of the urine samples showed that more than 20% of the residents had concentrations of Arsenic higher than the (normal) recommended level, with some reaching as high as 221 for Arsenic and 3.90 for mercury. Statistical analysis of the results showed that the levels of both Arsenic and Mercury seem to increase with increasing age, despite some extremely high concentrations for arsenic in the Aduasena youth between 31 and 40 years. This trend indicates that males were seen to be more at risk from these contaminants, with the youth between 11 and 20 years standing most endangered.