Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination and Distribution in Surface Soils and Plants along the West Coast of Ghana
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Date
2018
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West African Journal of Applied Ecology.
Abstract
Onshore oil drilling activity is ongoing at Jubilee oil fields, Ghana. This activity could lead to heavy metal exposure
with consequential adverse effects on public health in nearby coastal communities. Therefore, we assessed heavy
metal levels and spatial distribution in soils and plants from the west coast of Ghana to obtain baseline values for
monitoring heavy metal exposure. Surface soils were collected from six coastal communities, and analyzed for
arsenic, cadmium, copper, mercury, lead, selenium and zinc using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Mean
heavy metal concentrations in soil samples were 2.06, 6.55, 0.016, 21.59, 0.18 and 39.49mg/kg for arsenic, copper,
mercury, lead, selenium and zinc, respectively. Mean heavy metal concentrations in plants were 2.70, 17.47, 3.17,
91.74, 1.51 and 9.88mg/kg for arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, selenium and zinc, respectively. Concentrations
of arsenic, cadmium and lead in plants exceeded WHO/FAO permissible limits. Enrichment factor for arsenic
was significant and extremely high for selenium, while geoaccumulation index showed moderate pollution for
selenium. Soil contamination factors for arsenic, lead, and selenium indicated considerable contamination. In view
of these findings remediation methods must be adopted to safeguard the communities. The data will be useful for
future monitoring of heavy metal exposure in the communities and to assess the impact of the ongoing crude oil
drilling activity on the environment.
Description
This is an article in West African Journal of Applied Ecology, vol. 26(SI), 2018
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Citation
West African Journal of Applied Ecology, vol. 26(SI), 2018