Soil Pollution by Toxic Metals near E-waste Recycling Operations in Ibadan, Nigeria (original) (raw)
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Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination on Soil around E-Waste Dumpsite in Onitsha, Nigeria
Environmental Review, Volume 9, No 1., 2023
Electronic waste (e-waste) has become an issue of major importance as production technology rapidly develops and changes, and more unknown components of the waste enter the municipal waste stream. The absence of a structured management system and laxity in environmental laws and regulations in Anambra State have led to an increased influx of e-waste into the state. It has created an avenue for uncontrolled and crude methods of recovering valuable metals from waste. These ewastes are dismantled, some are burnt without prior knowledge of their composition and noxious matters are released into the environment. This study aimed to establish an understanding of the extent of heavy metals contamination on the soil around e-waste dumpsite in Ochanja in Onitsha, Anambra State with a view to generating baseline data on the extent of contamination of heavy metals from e-waste. Experimental research design was adopted and primary data were obtained through the collection of four different soil samples at varying distances within Ochanja e-waste dumpsite , the study Area. The collected soil samples were analyzed using Atomic Absorption SpectrophotometerAAS(GBC932AA) for the following heavy metals; Lead(Pb), Cadmium(Cd) Hexavalent chromium(Cr),Copper(Cu), Aluminium(Al) and Nickel(Ni). The result of the analysis showed that Al and Cr had maximium average value of 393.65mg/kg and 161.70mg/kg,followed by Pb(111.4mg/kg),Cu(102.37mg/kg),Cd(11.79mg/kg) and Ni(6.43mg/kg).The heavy metal concentrations in the soil were generally above 100mg/kg with exception of Cadmium (11.79mg/kg) and Nickel(6.43mg/kg),while the average concentrations of Al,Cu and Cd are above USEPA standard of 300mg/kg,50mg/kg and 3mg/kg respectively. The significant heavy metals found in soil samples in and around the dumpsites in the study area likely resulted from poor management of e-waste in the dumpsite in the study area. This is an indicator that the negative health impact of these heavy metals should be further investigated to avert any health and environmental consequences in the study area.
A speciation study of Al, Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn in soil samples from a metal recycling factory in Ile-Ife Osun State, Nigeria, was carried out in order to assess the heavy metal pollution impact of the industrial processes on the immediate environment. Surface soil dust samples collected within the vicinity of the factory were subjected to a five-stage sequential extraction process. Levels of heavy metals in each fraction were determined using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (FAAS). The overall mean values obtained for the metals in the fractions gave the range: Al (0.03 ± 0.01 to 0.20 ± 0.01 µg/g); Cd (0.03 ± 0.01 to 0.23 ± 0.02 µg/g) ; Cu (2.93 ± 0.02 to 18.30 ± 1.95 µg/g) ; Mn (17.33 ± 0.03 to 91.68 ± 2.90 µg/g); Pb (0.03 ± 0.01 to 0.43 ± 0.02 µg/g) and Zn (8.20 ± 0.01 to 35.08 ± 0.02 µg/g). Both the contamination index and enrichment factor results indicated that all the soil samples were contaminated with Cd while a few sites showed Cu contamination. The mobility potential of the metals in the soil sample decreased in the order: Mn> Al > Zn > Cd > Cu >Pb (West) and Cd > Al >Pb> Zn >Mn> Cu (East). The study revealed that the soil around the metal recycling factory is contaminated with heavy metals, and if left unmonitored and controlled could lead to serious environmental risk in the future.
The effect of e-waste recycling activities on soil quality was assessed for four e-waste sites in Ghana. Samples of top- and sub-soil were collected from dismantling and burning sections and prevalence and distribution of selected metals were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. The concentrations of the metals analysed were above the background concentrations except Cd, which was detected at the same level as the background levels. Levels of Cu and Pb increased with increasing soil depth. Levels of Cd, Zn, As, and Ni decreased with increasing soil depth. Hg levels showed no recognizable trend in its distribution relative to soil depth. The pollution indices evaluated revealed deterioration of the soil quality at the e-waste sites. Geo-accumulation indices suggest that the soil is very highly polluted with Pb, highly polluted with Cu, and moderately polluted with As, Hg, Cd, and Zn. The enrichment factor values indicate that soil from the studied sites was very highly en...
Asian Journal of Chemical Sciences, 2020
The soil from antiquity has been the primary repository of all wastes. Millions of tons of toxic e-waste from a variety of sources annually find their way into dumpsites. The assessment of the levels of Pb, Cr, Cd, Zn and Cu in soil from Owutu dumpsite in Ikorodu, Lagos State was performed using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. Control samples were also taken at 1 km away from the location. At the dumpsite, the concentration of Pb, Cr, Cd, Zn and Cu were found to range between 0.85 to 2261.15 mg/kg, 8.05 to 111.2 mg/kg, 1.05 to 46.6 mg/kg, 310.45 to 5443.7 mg/kg and 160.3 to 8246.3 mg/kg while that of the control sites range between 52.45 to 72.05 mg/kg, 18.1 to 20.80 mg/kg, 0.25 to 3.2 mg/kg, 126.55 to 140.7 mg/kg and 181.45 to 185.85 mg/kg respectively. Heavy metal concentrations at the dumpsite were found to be higher than those at the control site and that of the regulatory bodies. Assessment of the contamination level of the soils at the dumpsite was done by calculating the meta...
Emerging Science Journal
The objective of this study is first, to investigate the level of heavy metals in soils from Agbogbloshie e-waste processing site (AEPS), the degree at which these heavy metals contaminate the area and finally, to assess the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risk of heavy metals on workers and residents in around the AEPS. 132 soil samples were collected from the study area and the samples analyzed for Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn heavy metals after appropriate preparations were made. Results of the analysis showed mean concentrations of Cd, Cr and Ni considered as carcinogenic were lower than permissible levels of Dutch and Canadian soil standards. Mean concentrations however of Cu, Pb and Zn were between 100% and 500% higher than the permissible levels. Assessment of the degree of Contamination indicated Ni<Ba<Co<Cr<Zn<Hg<Cu<Cd<Pb in an increasing order as contributing to the degree of contamination with according to the degree of contaminat...
Introduction Obsolete electrical electronic equipment, referred to as e-waste are randomly dumped in our environments in both developing and developed nations, based on the trend of technology of this present day. Developing countries like Nigeria, India and other are facing concurrent flow of e-waste through domestic generation and illegal import (Vats and Singh, 2014). These generation and illegal import are as a result of globalization, transfer of technology, concurrent change in technology, affordable price of sensitive equipment and illegal dumping (Vats and Singh, 2014). The huge amount of e-waste generated globally, pose a lot of threat to the waste treating agencies due to the hazardous metals, inorganic and organic compounds generated by them. Ewaste are made up of different components like glass, metals, plastics and ceramics that contain hazardous compounds, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs), Jinhui et al., 2011). The also contain a lot of heavy metals, such as chromium (Cr), found in floppy disk, magnetic tape etc, arsenic (As), found in light emitting diodes,
Environmental monitoring and assessment, 2014
The concentrations of selected heavy metals in the soil and vegetation in the immediate vicinity of a metal scrap recycling factory were determined in the dry and wet seasons using the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The results showed that the soil pH in all the sites indicated slight acidity (from 5.07 to 6.13), high soil organic matter content (from 2.08 to 5.60 %), and a well-drained soil of sandy loam textural composition. Soil heavy metal content in the dry season were 0.84-3.12 mg/kg for Pb, 0.26-0.46 mg/kg for Cd, 9.19-24.70 mg/kg for Zn, and 1.46-1.97 mg/kg for Cu. These values were higher than those in the wet season which ranged from 0.62-0.69 mg/kg for Pb, 0.67-0.78 mg/kg for Cd, 0.84-1.00 mg/kg for Zn, and 1.26-1.45 mg/kg for Cu. Except for cadmium in the dry season, the highest concentrations occurred in the northern side of the factory for all the elements in both seasons. An increase in the concentrations of the elements up to 350 m in most directions was also o...
Environmental Health and Toxicology, 2016
Objectives This study examined the spatial distribution and the extent of soil contamination by heavy metals resulting from primitive, unconventional informal electronic waste recycling in the Agbogbloshie e-waste processing site (AEPS) in Ghana. Methods A total of 132 samples were collected at 100 m intervals, with a handheld global position system used in taking the location data of the soil sample points. Observing all procedural and quality assurance measures, the samples were analyzed for barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn), using X-ray fluorescence. Using environmental risk indices of contamination factor and degree of contamination (Cdeg), we analyzed the individual contribution of each heavy metal contamination and the overall Cdeg. We further used geostatistical techniques of spatial autocorrelation and variability to examine spatial distribution and extent of heavy metal contamination. Results Results from soil analysis showed that heavy metal concentrations were significantly higher than the Canadian Environmental Protection Agency and Dutch environmental standards. In an increasing order, Pb > Cd > Hg > Cu > Zn > Cr > Co > Ba > Ni contributed significantly to the overall Cdeg. Contamination was highest in the main working areas of burning and dismantling sites, indicating the influence of recycling activities. Geostatistical analysis also revealed that heavy metal contamination spreads beyond the main working areas to residential, recreational, farming, and commercial areas. Conclusions Our results show that the studied heavy metals are ubiquitous within AEPS and the significantly high concentration of these metals reflect the contamination factor and Cdeg, indicating soil contamination in AEPS with the nine heavy metals studied.
FUDMA JOURNAL OF SCIENCES
Total concentration and pollution indices of mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), nickel (Ni), and cobalt (Co) in dumpsite soil located in University of Cross River State, Calabar were evaluated in this work. Soil samples were collected at 0 - 15cm depth from two sampling stations at the dumpsite once in the months of April, August and December, 2021 and analyzed to the closest mg/kg using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The concentrations of the heavy metals showed that Cd>Pb>Ni>Cr>As>Co. All the concentrations of the heavy metals examined when compared with those of average value of heavy metals in shale showed that all the metals were lower than their corresponding world average value except Cd. Geoaccumulation index indicated unpolluted to moderately polluted for all metals studied except Cd which indicated strong to very strongly polluted. Contamination factor for Cd indicated very high contamination. Contamination degree...
Environmental and health risk posed by heavy metals from municipal landfill cannot be over emphasized. However, the toxicity and fate of metal in the soil is dependent on its chemical form and therefore quantification of the different forms of metal is more meaningful than the estimation of its total concentration. This study investigated the chemical form and potential hazards of heavy metal pollution at two municipal landfills in Sagamu, Ogun state, Nigeria. Soil samples were collected around the landfills and chemical form of Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, and Fe were studied, using the Tessier Five-step sequential chemical extraction procedure. The results showed that Cu and Fe were speciated into residual fractions with averages of 23.9 and 31.3% respectively, while Cd and Zn were associated with Carbonate fractions with respective averages of 20.3 and 20.6%. The order of mobility and bioavailability of these metals are: Cd > Pb > Cu > Zn > Fe. A comparison of the result of total extractible metals with standard set by USEPA reveals that Cd and Cu level in the dumpsite soils are far above the critical permissible limit of 3.0 and 250 mg kg −1 , respectively which potent a health risk. Assessment of soil pollution level using geoaccumulation index (I geo) revealed that the landfill was extremely polluted by Cd (I geo > 5). Pearson correlation and principal component analysis showed that there were no significant correlations (p < 0.05) among all the metals, suggesting that they are all from different anthropogenic sources. The cancer risk ranged from 1.36E−01 to 2.18E−04 and 5.82E−01 to 9.35E−04 for Children and Adult respectively. The level of cancer risk falls above the threshold values (10 −4 –10 −6) which US Environmental Protection Agency considered as unacceptable risk. Based on the above findings, it was suggested that environmental management policy should be implemented to decrease the environmental risks.