Abstract:

Environmental pollution is one of the factors responsible for global mortality and morbidity due to human exposure on natural or anthropogenic activities, while a substantial proportion of the total burden of diseases has have also been linked to environmental factors among which is human exposure to toxic chemicals through anthropogenic activities. Quarrying is a form of mining activity with associated environmental and health consequences; the extraction processes cause the release of respirable dust containing heavy metals into the air, soil and groundwater. In this study we determined the impact of quarry on the concentrations and metals/metalloids in respirable dust (Arsenic, Cadmium, Pb, Mn, Zn and Chromium) at five quarry sites (RQ, GQ, DQ, LQ and ZQ) in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (Agilent Technologies 200 series). The concentration of dust in morning and afternoon sessions was in the increasing order of RQ < DQ < LQ < GQ < ZQ and RQ < GQ < DQ < LQ < ZQ respectively. The enrichment and Igeo values revealed significant enrichment of air and soil with Cd. The concentrations of metals/metalloids for both morning and afternoon sessions were As (5.46±4.73and 5.79±4.00), Cd (0.25±0.299 and 0.23±0.248) and Cr (0.0920±0.034 and 0.0760±0.036 ), Co(0.0650±0.143 and 0.0804±0.178), Cu (0.192±0.111and 0.240±0.120 ), Fe (1.021±0.463 and 0.953±0.437), Ni (0.384±0.177 and 0.410±0.119), Pb (0.117±0.012 and 0.111±0.010) and Zn (1.271±0.815 and 1.66±0.979), Mn (0.321±0.120 and 0.432±0.091) mg/kg, respectively. This result revealed a higher concentration of metals in the afternoon compared with the morning period.