{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T18:07:03Z","timestamp":1785434823910,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"AOSIS","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]],"date-time":"2026-06-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782345600000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background:\u00a0Ghana\u2019s rapid expansion of large-scale and artisanal gold mining has intensified environmental degradation and public health risks in affected communities. Although prior research has largely focused on contamination and ecosystem impacts, less is known about how these hazards are experienced in everyday life.\nAim:\u00a0This scoping review therefore aimed to map and synthesise evidence on the health and well-being impacts of gold mining on communities in Ghana, including community adaptation and coping responses and the actions of institutions and other stakeholders to address these impacts.\nSetting:\u00a0The review examines evidence from communities located in gold-mining regions across Ghana.\nMethods:\u00a0Guided by Arksey and O\u2019Malley\u2019s framework and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Manual, we searched PubMed, MEDLINE, and Scopus, alongside grey literature and university repositories. Screening and data charting were conducted in Microsoft Excel, and reporting followed PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Nineteen empirical studies published between 2012 and 2025 were included.\nResults:\u00a0Reported outcomes included respiratory illness, dermatological conditions, waterborne infections, malaria, psychosocial distress, and limited evidence on reproductive health effects, linked to exposure to polluted air, contaminated water, and ecological disruption. Mining also undermined livelihoods reduced agricultural productivity, and increased food insecurity. Communities responded through livelihood diversification, informal support networks, alternative water use, and migration, although some strategies introduced new risks. Institutional responses were fragmented, small-scale, and weakly enforced.\nConclusion:\u00a0Gold mining generates multilayered risks affecting community health and well-being.\nContribution:\u00a0This study highlights the need for community based participatory research, integrated environmental health surveillance and stronger regulatory enforcement to mitigate mining-related public health harms.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4102\/jphia.v17i1.1820","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]],"date-time":"2026-06-23T07:25:54Z","timestamp":1782199554000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Public health impacts of gold mining in Ghana: A scoping review of environmental exposures and intersectoral resilience strategies"],"prefix":"10.4102","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-2458-0710","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Perfect Edinam","family":"Asamoah","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01ee9ar58","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of Nottingham"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-5965-4419","authenticated-orcid":false,"suffix":"Owusu","family":"Abigail Osei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00k6vc568","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Dodowa Health Research Centre"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2580","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref0","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Tenkorang EY. 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Extr Ind Soc. 2023;14:101214. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.exis.2023.101214","DOI":"10.1016\/j.exis.2023.101214"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dossou IM, Stylo M, Davis K, et al. Artisanal and small-scale gold mining and biodiversity: A global literature review. Ecotoxicology. 2024;33(4\u20135):484\u2013504. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10646-024-02748-w","DOI":"10.1007\/s10646-024-02748-w"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gibb H, O\u2019Leary KG. Mercury exposure and health impacts among individuals in the artisanal and small-scale gold mining community: A comprehensive review. Environ Health Perspect. 2014;122(7):667\u2013672. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1289\/ehp.1307864","DOI":"10.1289\/ehp.1307864"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Basu N, Clarke E, Green A, et al. Integrated assessment of artisanal and small-scale gold mining in Ghana \u2013 Part 1: Human health review. 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Duke University; 2020 [cited 2024 Feb 15], p. 37\u201360. Available from: https:\/\/hdl.handle.net\/10161\/20787"},{"key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Akpalu W, Normanyo AK. Gold mining pollution and the cost of private healthcare: The case of Ghana. Ecol Econ. 2017;142:104\u2013112. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.ecolecon.2017.06.025","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ecolecon.2017.06.025"},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dao F, Djonor SK, Ayin CTM, et al. Burden of malaria in children under five and caregivers\u2019 health-seeking behaviour for malaria-related symptoms in artisanal mining communities in Ghana. Parasites Vectors. 2021;14(1):418. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s13071-021-04919-8","DOI":"10.1186\/s13071-021-04919-8"},{"key":"ref29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Quarm JA, Anning AK, Fei-Baffoe B, Siaw VF, Amuah EEY. 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Oxford Department of International Development; 2024 [cited 2026 Feb 22]. Available from: https:\/\/www.qeh.ox.ac.uk\/blog\/towards-improved-formalisation-artisanal-and-small-scale-mining-peru-0"}],"container-title":["Journal of Public Health in Africa"],"original-title":[],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]],"date-time":"2026-06-23T07:27:10Z","timestamp":1782199630000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/publichealthinafrica.org\/index.php\/jphia\/article\/view\/1820"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]]},"references-count":50,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,1]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/jphia.v17i1.1820","relation":{},"ISSN":["2038-9922","2038-9930"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2038-9922","type":"print"},{"value":"2038-9930","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]]},"article-number":"a1820"}}