Toxic elements in foodchain : exposure pathways to infants in selected areas of Limpopo Province

Abstract

This study was concerned with establishing the extent to which various components of the environment were exposed to the three toxic minerals, arsenic, mercury and lead. The concentration of these three elements were determined in groundwater and surface water, soil, plants, animals such as goats, and humans in potentially contaminated areas in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The focus of the study was to assess the possible exposure to infants through ingestion to arsenic, mercury and lead. Comparison of the mineral content of water at the study sites with international and national drinking water standards, indicated water from Rooiberg, Leeupoort and Gravelotte are not fit for human consumption due to high arsenic and lead concentrations. Water at Gravelotte also has unacceptably high levels of mercury. The soil, plants, goat’s milk and mother’s milk at Rooiberg have higher levels of arsenic and lead than have been recorded for many other countries. Mother’s milk and goat’s milk are the main sources of arsenic, lead and mercury contamination at Rooiberg. It is therefore newborns and toddlers who are most at risk from exposure to arsenic and lead. This is a cause for environmental and health concerns, but as this research is only a base-line study, it is imperative that more comprehensive surveys of potentially toxic mineral contamination be conducted in the province.