{"id":43058,"date":"2020-06-29T20:41:30","date_gmt":"2020-06-29T20:41:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/?post_type=research_project&#038;p=43058"},"modified":"2023-09-21T11:04:11","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T11:04:11","slug":"geochemistry-and-health","status":"publish","type":"research_project","link":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Geochemistry and health"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t\t<section class=\"hero-section hero-section-with-social\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hero-info-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hero-info\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1>Geochemistry and health in the Kenyan Rift Valley<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>BGS Research<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"social-wrap social-wrap-inline-them\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sea-background-f\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Share this article<\/span><a target=\"_blank\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/\"><span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span class=\"hidden\">Facebook<\/span><\/span><\/a><a target=\"_blank\"  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Geochemistry%20and%20health&#038;url=https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/\"><span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span class=\"hidden\">Twitter<\/span><\/span><\/a><a   onclick=\"javascript:void( (function() {var e=document.createElement('script' );e.setAttribute('type','text\/javascript' );e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8' );e.setAttribute('src','\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/js\/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)})());\"  href=\"javascript:void(0);\"><span class=\"icon-pinterest\"><span class=\"hidden\">Pinterest<\/span><\/span><\/a><a target=\"_blank\"  href=\"https:\/\/wa.me?text=https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/\"><span class=\"icon-whatsapp\"><span class=\"hidden\">WhatsApp<\/span><\/span><\/a><a   href=\"mailto:?subject=Geochemistry%20and%20health&#038;body=We%20are%20working%20with%20Kenyan%20researchers%20to%20improve%20our%20understanding%20of%20the%20links%20between%20environment%20and%20health,%20strengthening%20our%20combined%20research.%20(https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/)\"><span class=\"icon-mail\"><span class=\"hidden\">Email<\/span><\/span><\/a><a href=\"#\" data-copy=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/\" class=\"copy-url-on-click\"><span class=\"icon-link\"><span class=\"hidden\">Copy Link<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-bgs-blocks-content-container content-section\"><div class=\"container\"><div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-12\">\n<p>In November 2019, the inorganic geochemistry team within the&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.environmentalgeochemistry.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Centre for Environmental Geochemistry<\/a> (CEG),&nbsp;along with partners from&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/mu.ac.ke\/\" target=\"_blank\">Moi University<\/a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.uoeld.ac.ke\/\" target=\"_blank\">University of Eldoret<\/a> (UoE),&nbsp;completed a sixth round of environmental and human biomonitoring sampling in west Kenya. Locations ranged from the tea estates in Nandi Hills and Kericho, through the sugar cane belt across Kisumu County down to Homa Bay County, covering diverse communities, landscape and climatic conditions spanning the Winam Gulf catchment of Nam Lolwe (Lake Victoria).<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t<div  class=\"owl-carousel carousel-primary-color carousel owl-theme thumbs-carousel-js\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"item\"><figure  class=\"img-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Tea_estates_Nandi_kisumu_1.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;Tea estates in Nandi Hills, Kenya. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_24393\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Tea_estates_Nandi_kisumu_1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Tea estates in Nandi Hills\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption sm-line\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/info-caption.svg\" alt=\"Information icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-text\"><p>Tea estates in Nandi Hills, Kenya. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"expand-box expand-box-top\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Tea_estates_Nandi_kisumu_1.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;Tea estates in Nandi Hills, Kenya. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_24393\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/expand.svg\" alt=\"Expand icon\"><\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"item\"><figure  class=\"img-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Tea_estates_Nandi_kisumu_2.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;800 m drop down from Nandi into the Kisumu County sugar belt. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_24393\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Tea_estates_Nandi_kisumu_2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Nandi tea estate\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption sm-line\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/info-caption.svg\" alt=\"Information icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-text\"><p>800 m drop down from Nandi into the Kisumu County sugar belt. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"expand-box expand-box-top\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Tea_estates_Nandi_kisumu_2.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;800 m drop down from Nandi into the Kisumu County sugar belt. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_24393\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/expand.svg\" alt=\"Expand icon\"><\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\n<p>This study started back in 2016, joining research led by Dr Diana Menya at Moi University (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/edition-m.cnn.com\/2018\/09\/25\/health\/dna-cancer-detective-partner\/index.html?r=https%3A%2F%2Fedition-m.cnn.com%2F2018%2F09%2F25%2Fhealth%2Fdna-cancer-detective-partner%2Findex.html%3Fr%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.google.fr%252F\" target=\"_blank\">CNN article<\/a>) and Dr Valerie McCormack from the&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iarc.fr\/\" target=\"_blank\">International Agency for Research on Cancer<\/a> (IARC),&nbsp;who studied the high incidence of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in the western part of Kenya, including the Great Rift Valley region. ESCC is the eighth most common cancer by incidence worldwide and, in Kenya, it is the most common cancer in men and the third most common in women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Initially, the environmental survey was targeted at complementing a case-control study being conducted by Moi-IARC in several counties around Eldoret to provide a measure of <a href=\"http:\/\/britgeopeople.blogspot.com\/2018\/11\/geochemistry-and-health-in-kenyan-rift.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">environmental and dietary factors<\/a> alongside various causal factors under investigation \u2014 consumption of a high-ethanol traditional alcoholic brew called chang\u2019aa or \u2018kill me quick&#8217;, cigarette smoking and hot tea drinking \u2014 but they are unlikely to fully explain the burden (<a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article\/authors?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0140107\">McCormack et al., 2015<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Essentially, this project set out to demonstrate the value of cross-disciplinary collaboration between epidemiologists, health practitioners, biostatisticians, geochemists, farmers and local agricultural extension workers. A great deal of interest was created amongst the communities who welcomed the research and could provide useful local knowledge with respect to farming and local health issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Environmental sampling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the past three years, with support from the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geological-research\/bgs-international\/official-development-assistance\/\">BGS-ODA programme<\/a>&nbsp;and CEG, the targets have widened from a focus on ESCC to collect urine samples and environmental samples to provide a simple measure of population-level health status for micronutrients essential to health (e.g. iodine; selenium) and potentially harmful elements (e.g. arsenic; chromium). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additional information, such as usage, reliability and source data, is being collected, as well as drinking water data that will supplement drinking water-supply data from teams working across Africa (led by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/people\/macdonald-alan\/\">Alan MacDonald<\/a>) to facilitate the integration of datasets from multiple BGS projects. Summary reports for drinking water and urinary data will be provided to public health collaborators within each county.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Training and sharing of facilities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Training was a key theme of the overall project, both for environmental\/laboratory scientists from UoE\/Moi and public-health officers (PHO) from each County Ministry of Health, to improve local capacity and build long-term partnerships to open access to funding opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall, quality-assurance processes were prioritised, from the point of planning sample collection, through collection of data and samples in the field, to their preservation and maintenance of their integrity until they were returned to the laboratory at UoE or the BGS for analysis. Ensuring a traceable audit trail, from collection to reporting of data, enabled reliable interpretation of data by local Ministry of Agriculture extension services, PHOs and when the team published in peer-reviewed literature (<a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s10653-019-00352-0\">Watts et al., 2019a<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-019-51075-2\">Watts et al., 2019b<\/a>).&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, the training approach and sharing of laboratory equipment from the BGS and other UK research partners will help in the teaching activities at UoE, which themselves help develop local laboratory capability and systems to provide confidence in data output.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This has been and continues to be supported by Commonwealth Scholarship Council-UK Professional Fellowships, which have facilitated visits to the BGS for up to three months. The training in field and laboratory activities has allowed us to scale-up field collections cost-effectively, increasing efficiencies and, more importantly, to forge strong partnerships to identify follow-on priorities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Training in both directions has also been a key feature, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geological-research\/bufi\/\">BUFI<\/a> PhD students Olivier Humphrey (now a BGS employee) and Sophia Dowell building their own research capacity and networks through field operations and shared learning.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What did we collect?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At each site, a small team of BGS and UoE participants captured on field sheets a range of data relating to the land use, crops grown, drinking water source\/usage and any local health problems (e.g. ESCC; goitre) along with soil, a panel of crops grown and eaten from the garden or farm, drinking water and a urine sample. The latter often resulted in some giggling but nearly always enthusiastic participation, despite the potential embarrassment!&nbsp;We had three vehicles out in the field on predetermined routes to coordinate daily collections, often at difficult to reach places, but thankfully the weather held and many roads, although difficult, were passable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This work could not have been done without the PHOs (and often the drivers helping too)&nbsp;explaining what we were doing and why, in order to gain permission from participants at each site: this can often result in a deluge of local information. In fact, we rarely experienced a negative response but rather a great deal of interest and help.&nbsp;The challenge was how to report data back in an appropriate format to be accessible to all stakeholders.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t<div  class=\"owl-carousel carousel-primary-color carousel owl-theme thumbs-carousel-js\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"item\"><figure  class=\"img-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Sampling_Nandi_Hills_1.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun SCXW29254483 BCX0&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun SCXW29254483 BCX0&quot;&gt;Sampling in hard-to-reach places in Nandi Hills where rapid changes from forest to farming take place. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_69035\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Sampling_Nandi_Hills_1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Sampling Nandi Hills\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/info-caption.svg\" alt=\"Information icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-text\"><p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW29254483 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW29254483 BCX0\">Sampling in hard-to-reach places in Nandi Hills where rapid changes from forest to farming take place. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"expand-box expand-box-top\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Sampling_Nandi_Hills_1.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun SCXW29254483 BCX0&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun SCXW29254483 BCX0&quot;&gt;Sampling in hard-to-reach places in Nandi Hills where rapid changes from forest to farming take place. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_69035\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/expand.svg\" alt=\"Expand icon\"><\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"item\"><figure  class=\"img-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Sampling_Nandi_Hills_2.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun SCXW29254483 BCX0&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun SCXW29254483 BCX0&quot;&gt;Sampling in hard to reach places in Nandi Hills, where rapid changes from forest to farming take place. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_69035\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Sampling_Nandi_Hills_2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Sampling Nandi Hills\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/info-caption.svg\" alt=\"Information icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-text\"><p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW29254483 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW29254483 BCX0\">Sampling in hard to reach places in Nandi Hills, where rapid changes from forest to farming take place. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"expand-box expand-box-top\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Sampling_Nandi_Hills_2.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun SCXW29254483 BCX0&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun SCXW29254483 BCX0&quot;&gt;Sampling in hard to reach places in Nandi Hills, where rapid changes from forest to farming take place. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_69035\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/expand.svg\" alt=\"Expand icon\"><\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Wider uses for data<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Rather than being led by the location of ESCC case-control sites, collection changed so that sampling was targeted to provide spatial coverage geographically and across different types of soil, focusing on rural communities that consume their own produce. Overall, the data will be useful to agricultural extension officers to provide advice to farmers on soil management and to PHOs in gaining datasets to estimate health status from a sample population within each county (e.g. micronutrient deficiencies; exposure to potentially harmful elements). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the coming years, IARC-Moi University will use the environmental data and predicted dietary supply to support sampling for ESCC-control collection points, utilising the trained field personnel developed through this collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Environmental data is being prepared for stakeholders to provide an easy-to-use web tool to deliver, use and supplement data, for example delivery of soil and crop geochemistry data for agricultural extension workers and farmers to provide a spatial prediction of soil geochemistry across the Winam gulf catchment. Figure 1 shows an example for potassium. There is plenty of work required to develop a web tool to deliver data in an understandable format, with co-design from stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t<div  class=\"owl-carousel carousel-primary-color carousel owl-theme thumbs-carousel-js\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"item\"><figure  class=\"img-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Soil_Geochemistry_Potassium.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun SCXW13999071 BCX0&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun SCXW13999071 BCX0&quot;&gt;Figure 1: soil geochemistry spatial prediction for soil-potassium concentrations. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_43251\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Soil_Geochemistry_Potassium.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Soil Geochemistry Potassium\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/info-caption.svg\" alt=\"Information icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-text\"><p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW13999071 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW13999071 BCX0\">Figure 1: soil geochemistry spatial prediction for soil-potassium concentrations. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"expand-box expand-box-top\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Soil_Geochemistry_Potassium.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun SCXW13999071 BCX0&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun SCXW13999071 BCX0&quot;&gt;Figure 1: soil geochemistry spatial prediction for soil-potassium concentrations. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_43251\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/expand.svg\" alt=\"Expand icon\"><\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"item\"><figure  class=\"img-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Data_collection.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun SCXW88423554 BCX0&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun SCXW88423554 BCX0&quot;&gt;Collection of data. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_43251\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Data_collection.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Data Collection\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/info-caption.svg\" alt=\"Information icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-text\"><p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW88423554 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW88423554 BCX0\">Collection of data. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"expand-box expand-box-top\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Data_collection.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun SCXW88423554 BCX0&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun SCXW88423554 BCX0&quot;&gt;Collection of data. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_43251\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/expand.svg\" alt=\"Expand icon\"><\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"item\"><figure  class=\"img-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/field_team.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun BCX0 SCXW106793558&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW106793558&quot;&gt;One of the field teams including partner Dr Diana Menya. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_43251\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/field_team.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Field team\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/info-caption.svg\" alt=\"Information icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-text\"><p><span class=\"TextRun BCX0 SCXW106793558\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW106793558\">One of the field teams including partner Dr Diana Menya. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"expand-box expand-box-top\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/field_team.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun BCX0 SCXW106793558&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW106793558&quot;&gt;One of the field teams including partner Dr Diana Menya. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_43251\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/expand.svg\" alt=\"Expand icon\"><\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In parallel, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/people\/marriott-andrew\/\">Andy Marriott<\/a> has formed a partnership with UoE and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kmfri.go.ke\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kenya Marine Fisheries Research Institute<\/a> (KMFRI),\u00a0supported by Newton Prize funding and the BGS-ODA programme, to develop a framework to deliver fish and environmental data to stakeholders to facilitate monitoring and regulation of lake inputs and appropriate and sustainable placement of aquaculture cages. Aquaculture is increasingly important regionally for the creation of livelihoods and satisfying food security.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t<div  class=\"owl-carousel carousel-primary-color carousel owl-theme thumbs-carousel-js\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"item\"><figure  class=\"img-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/not-sure.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;Fisheries on Nam Lolwe, Kenya. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_90602\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/not-sure-960x497.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Aquaculture cage\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption sm-line\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/info-caption.svg\" alt=\"Information icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-text\"><p>Fisheries on Nam Lolwe, Kenya. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"expand-box expand-box-top\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/not-sure.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;Fisheries on Nam Lolwe, Kenya. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_90602\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/expand.svg\" alt=\"Expand icon\"><\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"item\"><figure  class=\"img-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/boat.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;Fishing vessel on Nam Lolwe, Kenya. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_90602\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/boat-960x497.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"boat\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption sm-line\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/info-caption.svg\" alt=\"Information icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-text\"><p>Fishing vessel on Nam Lolwe, Kenya. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"expand-box expand-box-top\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/boat.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;Fishing vessel on Nam Lolwe, Kenya. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_90602\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/expand.svg\" alt=\"Expand icon\"><\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"item\"><figure  class=\"img-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Fish_tissue_dissection.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun SCXW125724731 BCX0&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun SCXW125724731 BCX0&quot;&gt;Fish tissue dissection and measuring&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun SCXW125724731 BCX0&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun SCXW125724731 BCX0&quot;&gt; fish health and quality.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;EOP SCXW125724731 BCX0&quot; data-ccp-props=&quot;{&quot;201341983&quot;:2,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:480}&quot;&gt; BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_90602\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Fish_tissue_dissection-960x497.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Fish dissection\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/info-caption.svg\" alt=\"Information icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-text\"><p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW125724731 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW125724731 BCX0\">Fish tissue dissection and measuring<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW125724731 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW125724731 BCX0\"> fish health and quality.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW125724731 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:2,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:480}\"> BGS \u00a9 UKRI.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"expand-box expand-box-top\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Fish_tissue_dissection.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun SCXW125724731 BCX0&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun SCXW125724731 BCX0&quot;&gt;Fish tissue dissection and measuring&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun SCXW125724731 BCX0&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun SCXW125724731 BCX0&quot;&gt; fish health and quality.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;EOP SCXW125724731 BCX0&quot; data-ccp-props=&quot;{&quot;201341983&quot;:2,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:480}&quot;&gt; BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_90602\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/expand.svg\" alt=\"Expand icon\"><\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\n<p>Overall, data from all of this geochemistry and health research has enabled the development of other projects and expanded the collaborative network with the BGS, UoE, Moi University, KMFRI and University of Nottingham. Opportunities include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>pollution pathways from land-to-lake<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>soil erosion\/land-use and subsequent impact on agricultural productivity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>fisheries\/aquatic ecosystem health and the consequences for consumers of agricultural and fishery produce<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This follow-on work is supported by a Royal Society International Collaboration grant and the BGS-ODA programme, alongside a NERC ARIES DTP PhD studentship to Sophia Dowell with the University of Plymouth and another one with the Nelson Mandela Agricultural Institute of Science and Technology (NM-AIST \u2013 Tanzania).<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t<div  class=\"owl-carousel carousel-primary-color carousel owl-theme thumbs-carousel-js\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"item\"><figure  class=\"img-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Pollution_aspect_lake.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun SCXW39241347 BCX0&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun SCXW39241347 BCX0&quot;&gt;Pollution aspect from eutrophication of the lake&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun SCXW39241347 BCX0&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun SCXW39241347 BCX0&quot;&gt; at a landing location for local fishers. BGS \u00a9 UKRI&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_41599\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Pollution_aspect_lake-960x497.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Lake pollution\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/info-caption.svg\" alt=\"Information icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-text\"><p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW39241347 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW39241347 BCX0\">Pollution aspect from eutrophication of the lake<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW39241347 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW39241347 BCX0\"> at a landing location for local fishers. BGS \u00a9 UKRI<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"expand-box expand-box-top\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Pollution_aspect_lake.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun SCXW39241347 BCX0&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun SCXW39241347 BCX0&quot;&gt;Pollution aspect from eutrophication of the lake&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun SCXW39241347 BCX0&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun SCXW39241347 BCX0&quot;&gt; at a landing location for local fishers. BGS \u00a9 UKRI&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_41599\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/expand.svg\" alt=\"Expand icon\"><\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"item\"><figure  class=\"img-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Lab_training_Eldoret.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun SCXW267494212 BCX0&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun SCXW267494212 BCX0&quot;&gt;Laboratory training at University of Eldoret. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_41599\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Lab_training_Eldoret.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Lab training\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/info-caption.svg\" alt=\"Information icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"caption-text\"><p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW267494212 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW267494212 BCX0\">Laboratory training at University of Eldoret. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"expand-box expand-box-top\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Lab_training_Eldoret.jpg\" data-toggle=\"lightbox\" data-footer=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;TextRun SCXW267494212 BCX0&quot; lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; xml:lang=&quot;EN-GB&quot; data-contrast=&quot;none&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;NormalTextRun SCXW267494212 BCX0&quot;&gt;Laboratory training at University of Eldoret. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-gallery=\"gallery_41599\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/bgs\/img\/expand.svg\" alt=\"Expand icon\"><\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\n<p>Efforts to develop project partnerships and two-way exchanges of staff and students has been recognised in MOUs being discussed to consolidate on the research, partnership and friendships built so far. I say friendships, because whilst we all recognise the value of what we are doing, the long days in the field on bumpy and dusty roads, boat work on choppy lake waters and storms above, plans not always surviving intact, the shared experience of tiredness and sometimes frustration is always backed up by lots of laughter &#8211; which is what we take with us when leaving Kenya. We look forward to a return to fieldwork and workshops with our partners in Kenya in a post COVID-19 world, but for now online platforms have facilitated activities to continue progress, albeit with a slightly different emphasis on data outputs and remote working for everyone (e.g. <a href=\"https:\/\/segh.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SEGH Live<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Further information<\/h3>\n\n\n<div  class=\"accordions\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acc-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"acc-top secondary-background icon-arrow button no-btn\"><span class=\"button-content\" tabindex=\"-1\">Partners<\/span><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acc-body sea-background-e\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/people\/watts-michael\/\">Dr Michael Watts<\/a> and Dr Andrew Marriott, Inorganic Geochemistry at the Centre for Environmental Geochemistry at the British Geological Survey.<\/p>\n<h4>Partners<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chs.mu.ac.ke\/index.php\/departments\/epidemiology-and-nutrition\/11-school-of-public-health\/95-dr-menya-biosketch\">Dr Diana Menya<\/a><em>\u00a0i<\/em>s a senior lecturer with the School of Public Health, Moi University, Kenya.<\/p>\n<p>Professor Odipo Osano is from the School of Environmental Sciences, University of Eldoret, Kenya.<\/p>\n<p>Professor Chris Aura is from the Kenyan Marine Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), Kisumu, Kenya.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div  class=\"accordions\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acc-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"acc-top secondary-background icon-arrow button no-btn\"><span class=\"button-content\" tabindex=\"-1\">Acknowledgements<\/span><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acc-body sea-background-e\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><strong>University of Eldoret:<\/strong>\u00a0Jackson Masai, Charles Owano, David Samoie, Prof. Odipo Osano, Doreen Meso. Many thanks to student volunteers led by Melvine Anyango and Job Isaboke for help in the field and lab<\/p>\n<p><strong>Moi University<\/strong>: Dr Diana Menya, Esilaba Anabwani &#8211; ESCCAPE, Eldoret (Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Africa Prevention Effort), Amimo Anabwani- ESCCAPE, Eldoret<\/p>\n<p><strong>British Geological Survey:<\/strong>\u00a0Dr Michael Watts, Dr Olivier Humphrey, Sophia Dowell \u2013 CEG PhD student, Dr Andy Marriott + IG lab team.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Public Health Officers\u00a0<\/strong>Many thanks to the PHO\u2019s from Kisumu, Kericho and Nandi Counties, some of whom were volunteer PHO\u2019s serving their community and\/or trainees building up work experience.<\/p>\n<p><strong>KMFRI\u00a0<\/strong>Many thanks to Collins Ongore, and the ship crew on the R Vuvumbusi.<\/p>\n<p><strong>University of Nottingham: <\/strong>Tracey Coffey<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n<section class=\"cta-section  sky-background-d \">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row md-row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t<h2>Need more information?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<div>Please contact Dr Michael Watts &amp; Dr Andrew Marriott, Inorganic Geochemistry at the Centre for Environmental Geochemistry at the British Geological Survey<\/div>\t\t\t\t<div class=\"btn-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/contact-the-person\/?employee=watts-michael\"  class=\"button primary-background button btn-icon-arrow-right-white before \">Contact Dr Michael Watts<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/contact-the-person\/?employee=marriott-andrew\"  class=\"button primary-background button btn-icon-arrow-right-white before \">Contact Dr Andrew Marriott<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<section   id=\"latest-content-1700-block_a286674c6904bc7f1bf66783b8648976\" class=\"grid-section  primary-background   \" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row header-of-section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>You may also be interested in:<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row grid-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-lg-6 col-12\">\n\t<div class=\"cards cards-orizontal-sm  cards-find-more  cards-bordered\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geological-research\/science-facilities\/environmental-geochemistry\/\" class=\"media-wrap\">\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/feature_careers_p514969-150x150.jpg\" class=\"lazy-blur wp-post-image\" alt=\"geoscientist in the lab\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/feature_careers_p514969.jpg\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-wrap\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"info\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geological-research\/science-facilities\/environmental-geochemistry\/\">Centre for Environmental Geochemistry<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Centre for Environmental Geochemistry focuses on the use of geochemistry in research, training and teaching. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geological-research\/science-facilities\/environmental-geochemistry\/\">Show more<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-lg-6 col-12\">\n\t<div class=\"cards cards-orizontal-sm  cards-find-more  cards-bordered\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geological-research\/environmental-change\/\" class=\"media-wrap\">\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/feature_env_change-150x150.jpg\" class=\"lazy-blur wp-post-image\" alt=\"Environmental change\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/feature_env_change.jpg\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"info-wrap\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"info\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geological-research\/environmental-change\/\">Environmental change, adaptation and resilience<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>We are undertaking research aimed at reducing vulnerability, protecting resources and building resilience in response to substantial environmental changes.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geological-research\/environmental-change\/\">Show more<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We are working with Kenyan researchers to improve our understanding of the links between environment and health, strengthening our combined research.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":43202,"parent":0,"menu_order":40,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"16523,17592,7818,17424,16555,15877","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"region":[13],"topic":[32,30],"purpose":[],"area":[17,19],"challenge":[49],"challenge_topic":[118,138],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Geochemistry and health - British Geological Survey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Inorganic Geochemistry team\u202fhas\u202fcompleted a 6th round of environmental and human biomonitoring sampling in West Kenya.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Geochemistry and health - British Geological Survey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Inorganic Geochemistry team\u202fhas\u202fcompleted a 6th round of environmental and human biomonitoring sampling in West Kenya.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"British Geological Survey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-09-21T11:04:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Pollution_aspect_lake_feature.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"430\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/\",\"name\":\"Geochemistry and health - British Geological Survey\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Pollution_aspect_lake_feature.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-06-29T20:41:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-21T11:04:11+00:00\",\"description\":\"The Inorganic Geochemistry team\u202fhas\u202fcompleted a 6th round of environmental and human biomonitoring sampling in West Kenya.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Pollution_aspect_lake_feature.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Pollution_aspect_lake_feature.jpg\",\"width\":640,\"height\":430},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Geochemistry and health\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/\",\"name\":\"British Geological Survey\",\"description\":\"World-leading geological solutions\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#organization\",\"name\":\"British Geological Survey\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BGS-logo-large.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BGS-logo-large.png\",\"width\":250,\"height\":104,\"caption\":\"British Geological Survey\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Geochemistry and health - British Geological Survey","description":"The Inorganic Geochemistry team\u202fhas\u202fcompleted a 6th round of environmental and human biomonitoring sampling in West Kenya.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Geochemistry and health - British Geological Survey","og_description":"The Inorganic Geochemistry team\u202fhas\u202fcompleted a 6th round of environmental and human biomonitoring sampling in West Kenya.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/","og_site_name":"British Geological Survey","article_modified_time":"2023-09-21T11:04:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":430,"url":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Pollution_aspect_lake_feature.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/","url":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/","name":"Geochemistry and health - British Geological Survey","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Pollution_aspect_lake_feature.jpg","datePublished":"2020-06-29T20:41:30+00:00","dateModified":"2023-09-21T11:04:11+00:00","description":"The Inorganic Geochemistry team\u202fhas\u202fcompleted a 6th round of environmental and human biomonitoring sampling in West Kenya.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Pollution_aspect_lake_feature.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Pollution_aspect_lake_feature.jpg","width":640,"height":430},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/geology-projects\/geochemistry-and-health\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Geochemistry and health"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/","name":"British Geological Survey","description":"World-leading geological solutions","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#organization","name":"British Geological Survey","url":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BGS-logo-large.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BGS-logo-large.png","width":250,"height":104,"caption":"British Geological Survey"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research_project\/43058"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research_project"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/research_project"}],"version-history":[{"count":55,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research_project\/43058\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105079,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research_project\/43058\/revisions\/105079"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43058"},{"taxonomy":"region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region?post=43058"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=43058"},{"taxonomy":"purpose","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/purpose?post=43058"},{"taxonomy":"area","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/area?post=43058"},{"taxonomy":"challenge","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/challenge?post=43058"},{"taxonomy":"challenge_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/challenge_topic?post=43058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}