ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Heavy Metals Contamination of Water, Soil,
and Plants around an Electronic Waste Dumpsite
Oladunni Bola Olafisoye1, Tejumade Adefioye2, Otolorin Adelaja Osibote3
1 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology,
P.O. Box 652, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
2 Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Bowen University,
P.M.B. 284, Iwo, Osun State, Nigeria
3 Department of Mathematics and Physics, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology,
P.O. Box 652, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
P.O. Box 652, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
2 Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Bowen University,
P.M.B. 284, Iwo, Osun State, Nigeria
3 Department of Mathematics and Physics, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology,
P.O. Box 652, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2013;22(5):1431–1439
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Electronic waste (e-waste) has become a subject of growing environmental concern in developing coun-
tries due to legal/illegal import of electronics from developed nations. In this study, concentrations of heavy
metals in and around the largest e-waste dumping site in Nigeria, Alaba International Market in Lagos, was
investigated. Concentrations of five heavy metals, namely: cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), nickel
(Ni), and zinc (Zn) in soil, water, and plant samples during the wet and dry seasons were measured using atom-
ic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Samples were collected between October 2011 and May 2012 and digest-
ed using standard wet digestion methods. Pb recorded the highest values, while the lowest were found for Cd
in all the samples during the dry season. Heavy metal concentrations were generally lower during the wet sea-
son due to increased aeration and dilution from rainfall.
Results show that the total mean concentrations of the heavy metals decreased with depth in soil sam- ples and distance from the dumpsite. Possible sources of contamination were also discussed. A noteworthy observation was that the concentrations of most of the heavy metals under investigation exceeded maximum permissible levels.
Results show that the total mean concentrations of the heavy metals decreased with depth in soil sam- ples and distance from the dumpsite. Possible sources of contamination were also discussed. A noteworthy observation was that the concentrations of most of the heavy metals under investigation exceeded maximum permissible levels.
RELATED ARTICLE
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.