Heavy metals, radionuclides activity and mineralogy of soil samples from an artisanal gold mining site in Ile-Ife, Nigeria: implications on human and environmental health
| Autor: | Abimbola Chris Ogunyele, Lasun T. Ogundele, Samuel Oluwagbenga Inuyomi, Oladotun A. Oluwajana |
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| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Gold mining
Soil test 0208 environmental biotechnology Soil Science chemistry.chemical_element Mineralogy 02 engineering and technology 010501 environmental sciences 01 natural sciences Radium Environmental Chemistry 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Earth-Surface Processes Water Science and Technology Global and Planetary Change Radionuclide business.industry Geology Contamination Pollution Eluvium 020801 environmental engineering chemistry Soil water Enrichment factor business |
| Zdroj: | Environmental Earth Sciences. 80 |
| ISSN: | 1866-6299 1866-6280 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s12665-021-09494-w |
| Popis: | The Ife-Ilesha schist belt of the Nigerian Basement Complex is renowned for artisanal gold mining activities owing to the occurrence of gold-bearing eluvial deposits within and around the belt. However, gold mining operations in Ile-Ijesha axis are carried out haphazardly without consideration of probable health risks that might be posed to the miners and local community by heavy metals and naturally occurring radionuclides materials (NORMs) contents in the soil. This study was therefore conducted to determine the mineralogy, heavy metals contents and radionuclide activity of soil samples collected from a gold mining site in Ile-Ife with a view to assessing the consequential health and radiological risks. Thirty-five (35) soil samples were collected from abandoned and active excavating pits over the entire area using stainless-steel spade. The heavy metals and radionuclides concentrations and mineralogical compositions of the samples were obtained by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopic (AAS), gamma ray spectrometry and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods, respectively. The contamination indices consisting of Enrichment Factor (EF) and Index of geoaccumulation (Igeo) were calculated from heavy metals concentrations. The sequence of the average concentrations of heavy metals in the soil samples decreases as follows: Pb (72.93 ± 4.60) > Cd (58.26 ± 3.25) > Cr (42.81 ± 3.00) > Zn (33.66 ± 2.71) > Mn (24.60 ± 1.80) > Ni (23.93 ± 2.51). The mean EF values of the measured heavy metals occurred in the order of Cr > Pb > Zn > Cd > Ni. The Igeo values of the measured heavy metals (except Pb) were less than one ( |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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