Cancer and Non-Cancer Risk Assessment from Exposure to Arsenic, Copper, and Cadmium in Borehole, Tap, and Surface Water in the Obuasi Municipality, Ghana

ABSTRACT

Cancer and non-cancer risk assessment from exposure to As, Cd, and Cu by resident adults and children from different water sources in Obuasi Municipality, Ghana, were measured in this study in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA's) Human Health Risk Assessment guidelines. The results of cancer health risk for resident adults in Obuasi exposed to As in their tap water for both Central Tendency Exposure (CTE) and Reasonable Maximum Exposure (RME) parameters, respectively, are 6.6 × 10⁻⁴ and 5.5 × 10⁻⁶. For resident children in Odumasi, we obtained 4.7 × 10⁻¹ (CTE) and 6.7 × 10⁻¹ (RME). The results of the study obtained in most cases were found to exceed the USEPA's acceptable cancer risk range of 1 × 10⁻⁶ to 1 × 10⁻⁴ (i.e., 1 case of cancer out of 1,000,000 people to 1 case of cancer out of 10,000 people). Similarly, the results of the non-cancer human health risk for both resident adults and children were also found in most cases to be greater than the USEPA's acceptable non-cancer human health hazard index of 1.

Key Words:

• cancer and non-cancer health risks
• hazard index
• River Nyam
• River Supu
• borehole and tap water
• Ghana

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We are grateful to WACAM and its partners for funding this project.