Physico-Chemical Analysis and Social Impacts of Heavymetals from Landfill Leachates in Groundwater- A Case Study of Ogeese Community, Oyo State, Nigeria

Protecting the groundwater resources is very essential for environmental sustainability and improved quality of life in developing regions of the world; and non-biodegradable heavy metals in leachates due to indiscriminate solid wastes and landfills management is recognized as the main threat to groundwater quality in these regions. In this study, the physico-chemical constituents determination and the health impacts assessment of soil and groundwater samples from six sites around a prominent uncontrolled landfill in the fast-growing Ogeese community of Oyo, southwest Nigeria, was conducted. The samples are analyzed for heavy metal components such as zinc, lead, copper, cadmium, manganese and iron using the Atomic Absorption Spectrometeric analysis and their concentration in each sample in mg/l and mg/kg for water and soil, respectively, are compared with the world health organization safe limits. The heavy metal concentration in most of the samples exceeds the WHO standard; hence there is a need for proper regulation and remediation action to improve the environmental and health standards of the inhabitants of this community and other similar communities.