Determination of total arsenic content of some food and cash crops, cooked food, vegetation, fish and meat from Kumasi and Obuasi
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Date
1989
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Abstract
The total arsenic content of some food and cash crops from Kumasi and Obuasi farms and markets have been determined. Analyses were also conducted on vegetation, cooked food obtained from some homes, local fish, and meat as well as some soil and water samples. In all, 266 samples were examined. Sampling was random depending on which samples were available and obtainable at the different locations Vegetation was as far as possible collected from sources of water utilized for domestic purposes.
KUIASI - food crops, 84 samples; cash crops, 8 samples; cooked food, 6 samples; vegetation, 6 samples; fish and meat, 2 samples.
OBUASI - food crops, 104 samples; cash crops, 11 samples; cooked food 9 samples; vegetation, 20 samples; fish and meat, 2 samples; soil, 7 samples; and water, 7 samples.
Two methods, Calorimetric and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometric (A.A.S) techniques of analysis were employed for arsenic determination.
Arsenic concentration values for Kumasi ranged between 0.05 and 4.85 mg/kg with the colorimetric method while A.A.S gave a range of 0.07 to 7.20 mg/kg. In Obuasi ranges of 0.05 to 52.00 and 0.12 to 70.50 mg/kg were obtained f or the calorimetric and A.A.S methods respectively.
The data showed that arsenic levels from Obuasi are much higher than those from Kumasi. Secondly the A.A.S method gave greater arsenic content than the calorimetric method f or the same samples.
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A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Master of Philosophy