Heavy Metal Contamination and Ecological Risk Assessment in Soils of the Pawara Gold Mining Area, Eastern Cameroon

IF 1.6 4区 地球科学 Q3 GEOSCIENCES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY Earth Interactions Pub Date : 2022-08-20 DOI:10.3390/earth3030053
Yaya Fodoué, A. Ismaila, Mero Yannah, M. J. Wirmvem, Christian Bouba Mana
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引用次数: 6

Abstract

Pawara area is a mining district in the eastern region of Cameroon. Mining in the area is generally artisanal and semi-mechanized, practiced by the local miners and immigrants from neighboring African countries and China. The lack of strict regulations and control of mining activities permits the miners to use illegal substances, especially Hg in gold separation. These expose the area to toxic and heavy metals pollution. This study highlights the source of heavy metals concentration in the Pawara soils and the potential adverse effects of Hg on gold separation to the environment and health. Three mining sites and one control site were investigated, namely Site A, Site B and Site C. The control Site 0 (background) is an area where no mining and agricultural activities have taken place. Soil samples were collected at depth of 20 cm, with six from each site (24 samples). Samples were analyzed for Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Pb, Cd and Zn content using atomic absorption spectrophotometry in a graphite furnace. The metals, except for Fe, show high values for all three sites exceeding the background levels in the soils. Hg shows the highest concentration on Site A with a value of 1590 mg kg−1. Pb is highest on Site B with a concentration of 12,274 mg kg−1. The contamination degree was assessed with the help of contamination indices (Igeo—index of geo-accumulation; PLI—pollution load index; RI—potential ecological risk; Eri—ecological risk; Pi—single pollution index; CF—contamination factor) and all parameters show a high degree of contamination on all three sites compared to the control site. Hg, Pb, Cd, Cr and Cu as single pollutants show the highest ecological risk on Site A and Site B where intense mining is taking place. The absence of industrial and large-scale agricultural activities in the Pawara area, the nonexistence of contaminants on the control site and the presence of contaminants on Site C where farming is high and mining is low jointly show that the discharge of mine wastes onto the soils and stream channels are the main source of contaminants and potential pollutants of the Pawara ecological environment.
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喀麦隆东部帕瓦拉金矿矿区土壤重金属污染及生态风险评价
帕瓦拉地区是喀麦隆东部地区的一个矿区。该地区的采矿通常是手工和半机械化的,由当地矿工和来自邻近非洲国家和中国的移民进行。采矿活动缺乏严格的法规和控制,使得矿工可以使用非法物质,特别是在黄金分离中使用汞。这些设施使该地区暴露在有毒和重金属污染中。本研究强调了帕瓦拉土壤中重金属浓度的来源以及汞对金分离对环境和健康的潜在不利影响。调查了三个采矿地点和一个对照地点,即地点A、地点B和地点c。对照地点0(背景)是一个没有进行采矿和农业活动的地区。在20 cm深度采集土壤样品,每个站点采集6个(24个样品)。采用石墨炉原子吸收分光光度法测定了样品中Al、Cd、Cr、Cu、Fe、Hg、Pb、Cd和Zn的含量。除铁外,这三个地点的土壤中金属含量均高于背景水平。A点汞浓度最高,为1590 mg kg−1。B站点的铅浓度最高,为12274 mg kg−1。利用污染指数(igeo -地质堆积指数;污染负荷指数;潜在生态风险;Eri-ecological风险;pi -单一污染指数;cf(污染系数)和所有参数都表明,与对照地点相比,这三个地点的污染程度都很高。Hg、Pb、Cd、Cr和Cu作为单一污染物,在A、B场地的生态风险最高。帕瓦拉地区没有大规模的工业和农业活动,控制区不存在污染物,种植业高、采矿业低的C区存在污染物,表明矿山废弃物排放到土壤和河道中是帕瓦拉生态环境的主要污染物和潜在污染物来源。
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来源期刊
Earth Interactions
Earth Interactions 地学-地球科学综合
CiteScore
2.70
自引率
5.00%
发文量
16
审稿时长
>12 weeks
期刊介绍: Publishes research on the interactions among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, and lithosphere, including, but not limited to, research on human impacts, such as land cover change, irrigation, dams/reservoirs, urbanization, pollution, and landslides. Earth Interactions is a joint publication of the American Meteorological Society, American Geophysical Union, and American Association of Geographers.
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