A preliminary study assessing the quality and potential health hazards of element exposure through groundwater use in selected educational institutions in Ghana

Groundwater serves as drinking water in many educational institutions, yet its safety from potentially toxic elements remains poorly characterized. This preliminary study assessed the physicochemical, microbiological and elemental quality of groundwater at six institutions in Kumasi, Ghana. Exposure through oral ingestion and dermal contact was used to estimate the health risks for children and adults. Statistical techniques were used to determine the relationship between selected parameters and probable sources of elements, although these are indicative, given the small sample size and dry-season sampling. Physiochemical parameters were all within the WHO guideline values, except for Mn, which exceeded the limit in 33.3% of samples. Water quality index (WQI) indicated excellent quality across all sites. However, the estimated cancer risk value was above the USEPA acceptable threshold (1.00E-04) at three sites for children and two sites for adults. Non-carcinogenic risk was projected only in children at one site, with ingestion as the main exposure pathway. Results emphasizes that the WQI may not account for toxic elements adequately. Principal components analysis suggested that most controlling variables were of geological origin, although anthropogenic influences cannot be excluded. Findings provide a baseline for future studies and call for further investigation and treatment of groundwater.