Heavy Metal Contaminated Soil and its Effects on Humans Health

Polluted soils are causing serious threat to food safety and public Health in the world. Because of this, a research was conducted to evaluate metals contaminations in the studies soils collected from a dumping site in Monrovia. This study aims to determine the accumulation of heavy metals Cd, Pb, As, Zn and Ni contaminant in the soil. Three soil samples were collected and placed in a sample bag and taken to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) laboratory. Sample 1 was taken directly from the landfill body and sample 2 and 3 from the edge of the landfill. The allocation of sample site was chosen on the basis the accessibility and permission of authority. All three samples were collected at a depth of 0-25cm and an interval of 75m between each. These samples were tested/analyse using the X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The WHO limit for these heavy metals in soil as set as a threshold for the experiment. All of the samples tested exceeded the threshold for Cd, Pb, Zn and Ni, with sample 1 attaining the highest value followed by sample 2 and 3. Thus, Cd, Pb, and Zn are contaminating the soil in this area. The study area, wein town is owned and operated by the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) and was constructed in 2010 in order to enhance a better waste management in and around the wein town area. The facility operates 365 days and receives about 300 tons of municipal waste per day from Monrovia and its environs. The objective this research is to examine the effect of soil contamination caused by landfills. The soil samples were prepared for heavy metal analysis using acid digestion and heavy metal concentrations were determined using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) method. The results showed that the accumulation of heavy metals in the polluted soil follows Zn>As>Cd >Ld >Ni. It was observed that the Concentrations of Cd and Zn in the soil corresponded with the permissible limits of Cd and Zn in soil set by the WHO: Cd=0.01 and Zn=6.07.