Study of Heavy Metal Fractionation in the Lami Municipal Disposal Facility, Fiji

Chandra, Shaneel and Gangaiya, Philomena and Togamana, Culwick and Prasad, Surendra (2016) Study of Heavy Metal Fractionation in the Lami Municipal Disposal Facility, Fiji. The South Pacific Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences, 34 (1). pp. 21-28. ISSN 1838-837X

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Abstract

This work reports the first screening study of the bioavailability of heavy metals such as copper, zinc, lead and nickel in the Lami municipal disposal facility, Suva, Fiji where virtually uncontrolled dumping had been carried out for over fifty years. The soil samples from three parts of the facility were collected and the potential for mobility into the surrounding marine environment was assessed according to international guidelines. The results showed high levels of Pb in Site A (109.0 mg kg-1) and that Zn was the predominant metal across Sites B and C with 550.7 mg kg-1 and 206.8 mg kg-1, respectively. Ni was present in the least amount with the highest value 8.7 mg kg-1. In addition, Cu, Pb and Zn concentrations exceeded commonly used eco-toxicity threshold values. Moreover, there were indications that considerable leaching of the studied heavy metals may have been occurring for long periods of time at the sites. Overall, this study showed that even in areas with little industrialization, lack of adequate waste management controls could result in unusually high levels of heavy metals contamination of the soil. The results raise concerns about the wellbeing of the communities living adjacent to the Lami municipal disposal facility that depend on the adjacent marine environment for their subsistence.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Lami disposal facility, Heavy metals, Bioavailable fraction
Subjects:	Q Science > QD Chemistry
Divisions:	Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment (FSTE) > School of Biological and Chemical Sciences
Depositing User:	Repo Editor
Date Deposited:	26 Apr 2017 22:02
Last Modified:	26 Apr 2017 22:02
URI:	http://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/9790

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