Elemental composition of vegetables cultivated in illegal mining towns in Ghana using neutron activation analysis

The elemental concentrations of 12 elements from five species of the most consumed vegetables in Ghana cultivated in five mining and three non-mining towns have been analyzed using neutron activation analysis. About 50% of the total concentrations recorded for cadmium and arsenic for the various towns and vegetables were found to be above the World Health Organization (WHO) permissible levels. The statistical methods employed in this work also provided more understanding on the geographical distribution of the elements, vegetables and sampling towns. The principal component analysis of our data showed two major clusters consisting of gold mining towns and non-gold mining towns in relation to the elemental concentrations of vegetables cultivated in these towns.