Investigation of trace metal concentrations in soil, sediments and waters in the vicinity of gold mines in North West Tanzania
Abstract
The “Geita Gold Mine” (GGM) and “North Mara Gold Mines” (NMGM) have developed large quarries in the middle of settlements in fertile agricultural lands. Possible hazardous impact on the natural recourse have impelled a pilot study on the trace element contents in soils, sediments and natural waters carried out in June 2009. The need to follow up these studies is obvious as several sites have accumulated potentially hazardous contents of trace elements. The previous accidental spill that took place from the NMGM in May 2009 has seriously contaminated sediments and waters nearby.
However, other sites more remote from this site are affected, as particularly the contents of Arsenic, as, was found to be unacceptably high in both sediments and waters. Although the contamination situation was less severe in the area near GGM, also findings from this place show that as contents in sediments is worrying. Detailed biogeochemical studies at both places are highly recommended. Along with such studies, there is a pressing need for an extensive study of the population, their diet and agricultural management practices, to map particularly the as sources, its transport in the food chain and finally its content in human tissue samples of different groups of the populations.
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