Neurotoxic Health Effects of Four Toxic Elements Exposure on Resident’s Children in the Wassa East District of Ghana Via Ingestion Pathway

In rural areas with the absence of efficient centralized water supply systems, residents mainly use available water sources of unknown quality as drinking water without comprehending the likely adverse effects on their health. Thus, tap water, borehole, and surface water in the Wassa East District of Ghana were collected and evaluated based on their quality in terms of four hazardous elements concentrations (i.e., Hg, Pb, As, and Cd). Neurotoxic health impacts associated with exposure to these dangerous elements in the three water sources via oral ingestion by inhabitant children were assessed following US EPA risk assessment guidelines. The average concentrations of four hazardous elements in the water samples were compared with WHO guidelines for drinking water. The average concentrations of four hazardous elements in all samples collected from three water sources were higher than the permissible limits for Hg, Pb, As, and Cd put forward by WHO. Based on the obtained results, the hazard quotient (HQ) for oral ingestion of Hg in tap water, borehole, and surface water were in the range of 0.25–4.47, 0.21 to 1.13, and 0.35 to 1.83, respectively. The HQ values for lead varied from 0.01 to 0.04 for tap water, 0.01–0.04 for borehole, and 0.01–0.05 for surface water. In contrast, the HQ values for As range from 1.96 to 9.18 for tap water, 1.98–7.41 for borehole, and 2.55–10.19 for surface water. Additionally, the HQ values for Cd varied from 0.55 to 2.35 for tap water, 0.59–2.35 for borehole, and 0.52–3.54 for surface water. In general, the hazard index in all sampling sites and water sources were > 1.0, indicating potential neurotoxic health effects associated with ingestion of four hazardous elements exposure via drinking water by inhabitant children. Multivariate analyses interpolation established both natural and anthropogenic sources of water contamination. Meticulous monitoring of water quality before use for drinking purposes by the resident children is recommended for all three studied water sources.