Distribution of some Heavy Metals in Leachates from a Municipal Waste Dumpsite
The distribution of heavy metals in leachates from a waste dumpsite was investigated. Soil samples were taken from a major dumpsite in Edo State located at Oluku near the National Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) and analyzed. The heavy metals considered were Iron, Lead, Zinc, Mercury, Chromium, Cadmium, Arsenic, Nickel, and Copper. The concentrations, in mg/l, of these heavy metals in the leachates from the soil samples over a distance of 80 meters were determined using the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The following results were obtained, the concentration of Iron ranged between 1.25-1.85 mg/l, Chromium: 0.01-0.07 mg/l, Zinc: 0.45-3.45 mg/l, Copper: 0.01-0.03 mg/l, Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Arsenic, and Nickel had negligible values, i.e. less than 0.01 mg/l. From the results the concentrations of iron and zinc fell within Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) limits.