Ecological and health risk assessment of heavy metals: a case study of residential waste sites in Umuahia, South-East Nigeria

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment 2023-03, Vol.195 (3), p.360-360, Article 360
• Main Authors: Okosa, I., Paul, T., Ikechukwu-Edeh, C. E., Ehiomogue, P., Emeka-Chris, C. C., Okereke, A. C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Cadmium; Carcinogens; Child; Children; China; Chromium; Contamination; Copper; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecological risk assessment; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Management; Environmental monitoring; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental science; Erbium; Hazard assessment; Health hazards; Health risks; Heavy metals; Humans; Lead; Metal concentrations; Metals; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Nickel; Nigeria; Residential location; Risk Assessment; Soil; Soil contamination; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Soil pollution; Suburban areas; Waste disposal sites; Zinc
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-10930-6

This study assessed the human health hazards and ecological risks of heavy metals from waste sites in residential vicinity. The heavy metals analyzed were Cr, Pb, Cd, Ni, Cu, and Zn. A total of 40 soil samples were collected from waste sites in two residential estates located in the urban and suburb areas of Umuahia, Abia state. Results revealed a trend in concentrations of the heavy metals for both sites in the following order: Cu > Ni > Zn > Cr > Cd > Pb. The concentrations of heavy metals were higher in rural soils than in urban soil. The contamination factor (CF) indices for Pb, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn were less than 1 for both sites, signifying a low contamination scenario. The contamination factor for Cd (6 > CF) for both sites indicated a very high contamination status. The estimated degree of contamination (Cdeg) was less than the lower threshold of 8.0, denoting a low degree of contamination. Cd was the highest contributor to ecological risk with Er index value of 184.2 among measured heavy metals. The overall potential ecological risk index for urban and rural sites are 187.1 and 196.1 respectively, classifying the sites as moderate risk. The overall non-carcinogenic hazard index values (HI) for adults and children in urban and rural soils are 0.00248, 0.0198 and 0.0028, 0.0223 respectively, which are below the acceptable limit (HI