GEOCHEMICAL APPRAISAL OF TRACE METAL CONCENTRATIONS IN SOILS OF SELECTED AREA OF BADAGRY, SOUTH -WESTERN NIGERIA
ABSTRACT
The environment is being degraded on a daily basis as a result of human activities like auto traffic, mining and agriculture among others. This has made environmental assessment studies and monitoring a matter of global attention considering our growing population Studies have also revealed that adverse health are associated with the pollution of the ecosystem by heavy metals which are easily bio accumulative but not biodegradable.
This project is aimed at assessing the level of metal concentrations in soils of selected part of badagry area, south- western Nigeria.
Sixteen (16) soil samples were randomly collected in selected areas of Badagry. The samples were air-dried at room temperature, disaggregated, sieved through a 76µm mesh size and stored in a well-labeled polythene bags. The analytical method employed is Ultra Trace Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectroscopy coupled with mass spectrometry (UT-ICP-ES/MS).
The results of geochemical analysis of the samples collected reveals the following range of concentration in ppm; Mo ( 0.19 -2.07), Cu(6.97-56.49), Pb(4.2-378.89),Zn(10.6 – 615.8),Ni(2.4
– 23.2), Co(0.6 – 4.4),Mn(4.2 – 486),As(0.3 – 4.5),Sr(4.2 – 242.3),Cd(2.5 – <0.01),V(10 – 32),Cr(8.9 – 73.3).
The study revealed that the high concentration of trace metals in soils within the study area call for close monitoring and a control method to reduce the likely source of health hazards.
1. INTRODUCTION
Atomic absorption spectroscopy is a widely used technique in many chemical measurements that require a high degree of precision and accuracy, such as food and drug safety, clinical diagnostics, and environmental sampling [1].
Atomic absorption spectrometers can be used to determine the concentration of over 70 different elements in a given sample solution, making them a valuable tool in any laboratory. Heavy metal contamination in the aquatic environment has sparked global interest due to its abundance, persistence, and environmental toxicity [2,3].
The abundance of heavy metals in the environment is caused by both natural and anthropogenic activities [4,5]. Anthropogenic activities, on the other hand, can easily generate heavy metals in sediment and water, polluting the aquatic environment [6].
Heavy metal pollution is becoming more prevalent have a significant negative impact on the health of invertebrates, fish, and humans [7,8,9,10]. Metal pollution of aquatic ecosystems is increasing as a result of the effects of urbanization and industrialization [9,6,11].
Industrial wastes have the greatest influence on metal distribution in river sediments [12-14]. Sediments have been widely used in the aquatic environment as environmental indicators for assessing metal pollution in natural water [15].
The main behavior of metals in natural water bodies is determined by the suspended sediment composition and water chemistry [16]. Heavy metals may undergo frequent changes during transportation in the riverine system due to dissolution, precipitation, and sorption phenomena [1,14], which affect their performance and bioavailability [15].
Sediment is an important and dynamic component of the environment river basin, with a variety of habitats and environments Heavy metals in water and sediments research could be used to assess the anthropogenic and industrial impacts and risks posed by waste discharges on riverine ecosystems [7,17].
As a result, it is critical to assess the concentrations of heavy metals in the water and sediments of any contaminated riverine ecosystem. Heavy metal pollution is now a major issue in many developing countries, including Bangladesh [18].
Bangladesh’s unplanned urbanization and industrialization are having a negative impact on the quality of water and sediment, as well as other aquatic fauna. The disposal of urban wastes, untreated effluents from various industries, and agrochemicals in open water bodies and rivers has reached an alarming level in Rivers state.arer is constantly increasing metal levels and deteriorating water quality [19,2,20].
Bonny River is the largest and most important river in Port Harcourt and the surrounding area in Rivers state. The heavy metal pollution of the Bonny River is increasing day by day as a result of the industrial activities in the area.
The river under study receives a large amount of untreated effluent from industries such as Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, steel mills, oil refineries, and others. So far, no scientific research on heavy metal pollution in the study river’s water and sediment has been conducted.
As a result, the goals of this study were to determine the levels of heavy metals in sediments as well as the health parameters associated with them.
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