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Health risk assessment from the exposure of children to soil contaminated by copper mining and smelting, Nomtsoub township, Tsumeb, Namibia

Tsumeb, in northern Namibia, is a famous copper mining town with over a century of mining and smelting operations. The subject of this study was soil in Nomtsoub township, a poor and under developed quarter where children spend most of their time outside their homes and are exposed to a dusty environment. The aim of the study was to determine the degree of residential soil pollution, environmental risk and bioaccessibility of potentially toxic elements in order to estimate the impact of mining and especially smelting activities on the children’s health. Laboratory analysis of samples included x-ray diffraction, aqua regia extraction, sequential extraction and body fluids (gastric and intestinal) extraction. Potentially toxic elements (PTE) in extracts were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry. Indicators of soil contamination, environmental risk and daily intake of contaminants were calculated. Although there is high level of pollution (especially from arsenic and cadmium) and there is an environmental risk from As, Cd, Zn, Pb and Cu, bioaccessibility tests showed that the estimated daily intake of PTE through the soil is low and does not exceed the allowable daily intake for children weighing over 5 kg. Pb and As represent potential risk, for children weighing less than 5 kg.

Soil ingestion; potentially toxic elements; children health; mining impact; bioaccessibility; Tsumeb; Namibia

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