Fluoride contamination of groundwater resources in Ghana: Country-wide hazard modeling and estimated population at risk

Araya, Dahyann; Podgorski, Joel; Kumi, Michael; Mainoo, Patrick A.; Berg, Michael

doi:10.1016/j.watres.2022.118083

Cited by 33 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Despite generalizing across the entire globe, the geospatial model (Fig. 1) is largely consistent with previous studies that created random forest models focused on India 38 , Ghana 53 and parts of the American Southwest 40 and similar, though less detailed, to another fluoride prediction model created for China 54 . In addition to areas well constrained by fluoride measurements, such as much of Australia and the Americas, it is noteworthy that the model identifies many regions with high fluoride hazard where no measurements were available, for example, in many parts of Africa and Central Asia.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…The muted influence of lithology on the model can be ascribed to the relatively low degree of detail in the available standardized global lithological map. If creating a prediction map at a smaller scale, the incorporation of country-scale lithological maps can indeed play an important role 43,53 . It is also worth noting that with regard to the calculation of variable importance, a categorical variable (such as lithology) is less likely than a continuous variable to have an effect on the model when its values are randomly sorted, due to having far fewer possible values.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Global analysis and prediction of fluoride in groundwater

2022

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The health of millions of people worldwide is negatively impacted by chronic exposure to elevated concentrations of geogenic fluoride in groundwater. Due to health effects including dental mottling and skeletal fluorosis, the World Health Organization maintains a maximum guideline of 1.5 mg/L in drinking water. As groundwater quality is not regularly tested in many areas, it is often unknown if the water in a given well or spring contains harmful levels of fluoride. Here we present a state-of-the-art global fluoride hazard map based on machine learning and over 400,000 fluoride measurements (10% of which >1.5 mg/L), which is then used to estimate the human population at risk. Hotspots indicated by the groundwater fluoride hazard map include parts of central Australia, western North America, eastern Brazil and many areas of Africa and Asia. Of the approximately 180 million people potentially affected worldwide, most reside in Asia (51–59% of total) and Africa (37–46% of total), with the latter representing 6.5% of the continent’s population. Africa also contains 14 of the top 20 affected countries in terms of population at risk. We also illuminate and discuss the key globally relevant hydrochemical and environmental factors related to fluoride accumulation.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global analysis and prediction of fluoride in groundwater

2022

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“…These activities have resulted in the destruction of land and vegetation, pollution of water, air, and soil (Mensah et al, 2015;Kodua & Anaman, 2020;Lissah et al, 2021;Rehman et al, 2021;Gbedzi et al, 2022). Studies have reported the harmful effects these activities have on humans, animals, and plants (e.g., Apambire et al, 1997;Anku et al, 2009;Mensah et al, 2015;Daum et al, 2017;Aboka et al, 2018;Obeng et al, 2019., Araya et al, 2022Sunkari et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geoscience education in Ghana: status and recommendations

2023

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This paper reviewed the level of Geoscience education in Ghana and offers recommendations for improvement. The review showed that Geoscience education in Ghana is inadequate and Geoscience literacy and awareness in the public are weak. Currently, the level of Geoscience content in the formal educational curricula of Basic and Senior High schools as well as colleges of education in Ghana is very low. In addition, out of 129 universities in Ghana, only seven offer Geoscience or Geoscience-related programs. To improve the level of formal Geoscience education we recommend the following: (1) introduce geoscience degree programs in colleges of education, (2) introduce Geoscience as a subject in the Senior High School curriculum, (3) improve the Geoscience content in the Basic School curriculum, (4) Encourage more universities to offer degree programs in Geoscience. To train the next generation of Geoscientists, we recommend improvements in Geoscience degree programs in terms of (1) the curriculum, content, proficiencies, and skills, (2) the use of pedagogy and technology, and (3) the preparation of teachers to build capacity in science and core geology. To help increase Geoscience awareness and literacy in Ghana, the Geoscience workforce should team up with relevant stakeholders to promote Geoscience outreach in Ghana.

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“…In recent years, fluorinated chemicals and nanoparticles [12,13] were commonly used to impart satisfactory amphiphobicity to surfaces [14][15][16] (Table 1). However, the use of fluorinated chemicals is a serious threat to human health and environmental safety [17,18]. Therefore, it is necessary to find a greener way to improve the performance of paper.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fluorine-Free Dual Superamphiphobic Cellulose Paper Coated with Mushroom-like Pillar Microstructure

Wang

Zhao

et al. 2023

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In this work, we report a unique and facile approach to the manufacture of fluorine-free superamphiphobic paper. Based on the principle that Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) arranged along the direction of a magnetic field, the mixture of Fe3O4 NPs and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was coated on kraft paper through self-assembly and thermal-curing at a high temperature in a magnetic field, fabricating a mushroom-like microstructure on the paper. At an Fe3O4 NPs content of 75%, the radius of the mushroom-like pillar caps (RCAP) and center-to-center spacing between two pillars (S) obtained the optimal size of 37 ± 18 μm and 237 ± 38 μm, respectively. The oil-contact angle and water-contact angle of the fabricated paper were up to 156° and 160.4°, respectively. It also showed excellent oleophobic stability; the oil-contact angle was still maintained at 141.9° after 1 h. In addition, the contact angles of milk, ethylene glycol and castor oil were all above 150°, and the contact angle of diiodomethane was 134.2°. Moreover, the sample showed great oil resistance with a kit rating value of 12/12 and permeability of 1800+ s.

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Fluoride contamination of groundwater resources in Ghana: Country-wide hazard modeling and estimated population at risk

Cited by 33 publications

References 51 publications

Global analysis and prediction of fluoride in groundwater

Global analysis and prediction of fluoride in groundwater

Geoscience education in Ghana: status and recommendations

Fluorine-Free Dual Superamphiphobic Cellulose Paper Coated with Mushroom-like Pillar Microstructure

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