Geophagy practices and the content of chemical elements in the soil eaten by pregnant women in artisanal and small scale gold mining communities in Tanzania

Table 4 Estimated daily intake and daily dose of chemical elements of the soil eaten by pregnant women

Chemical content	Kigoma Pemba			Musoma Pemba			Kichuguu soil			MRLs* (mg/kg/day)
	Mean conc. ( mg/kg)	Daily intake (mg/day)	Daily dose (mg/kg/day)	Mean conc. (mg/kg)	Daily intake (mg/day)	Daily dose (mg/kg/day)	Mean conc. ( mg/kg)	Daily intake (mg/day)	Daily dose (mg/kg/day)
As	0.340	0.021	0.0003	0.310	0.019	0.0002	5.8	0.36	0.0045	0.0003
Cd	BDL	BDL	BDL	BDL	BDL	BDL	0.036	0.002	0.00003	0.0005
Cr	122	7.6	0.095	81.6	5.1	0.064	129	8.1	0.100	0.0009^a
Cu	63.0	3.9	0.049	43.3	2.7	0.034	67.7	4.2	0.053	0.010
Fe	87754	5484	68.6	34833	2177	27.2	49771	3111	38.9	Xx
Hg	BDL	BDL	BDL	BDL	BDL	BDL	0.046	0.003	0.00004	0.0003^b
Mn	286	17.9	0.220	1360	85.0	1.1	1040	65.0	0.810	0.160^c
Ni	61.8	3.9	0.048	23.3	1.4	0.018	69.1	4.3	0.054	xx
Pb	BDL	BDL	BDL	2.4	0.150	0.0019	6.5	0.410	0.005	xx
Zn	90.9	5.7	0.071	35.1	2.2	0.027	43.7	2.7	0.034	0.300

Mean body weight of 80 kg for an adult was used to estimate Daily Dose in women, mg/kg/day[46].
As=arsenic; Cd=cadmium; Cr=chromium; Cu=copper; Fe=iron; Hg=mercury; Mn=manganese; Ni=nickel; Pb=lead; Zn=zinc.
*Oral Minimal Risk Levels (MRLs) in mg/kg/day for chronic exposure to chemical element as established by ATSDR [45].
BDL refers to concentration below the method detection limit of the particular mineral element.
^aOral MRLs for chromium hexavalent.
^bOral MRLs for chronic toxicity for methyl mercury.
^cInterim guidance value for manganese (mg/kg/day).
^xxNo oral MRLs have been derived for the specific chemical element.

ISSN: 1471-2393