Haematological Changes Induced by Municipal Solid Waste in Wild Rats (Rattus rattus)

The effect of the exposure of landfill pollutants on haematology, body and organ weights of Rattus rattus was investigated. The potential hazards of this landfill on the haematology of the exposed rats were investigated. Weights of rats in the control group (232.6g) were significantly higher (p<0.05) than the exposed wild rats (167.6g). The Packed Cell Volume, PCV (%) of rats exposed to landfill pollutants was found to be 32.0 ± 13.9 while that of control rat was 43.4 ± 4.7. Haemoglobin (g/dl) of control rats was observed to be 14.2 ± 1.2 while that of exposed rats was 10.0 ± 4.1. The constituents of the municipal waste especially heavy metals probably aggravated the observed changes in the blood parameters. The experimental results indicated that exposure to landfill pollutants may lead to ill health particularly anaemia. Also, exposure to municipal solid waste landfill may induce haematological alterations in humans as evident in the wild rats studied.