Contamination of agricultural soils by selected heavy metals from municipal solid waste dumpsites-A case study of Oleh Town in Nigeria’s Niger Delta

The University town of Oleh in Nigeria‟s Niger Delta Area is one of the emerging urban cities in Nigeria currently facing waste disposal menace. In the present study, soil samples collected at three different distances (0, 5 and 20 meters) from four major dumpsites (DS 1 – DS 4) strategically located in the town were analyzed for Pb, Hg, Cd, Cr, Ni and Zn content.. The results of the analysis show heavy metal contamination of all the sites studied. Soil around DS 1, recorded the highest lead and zinc concentrations of 120 ± 5.21 mg/kg and 128.91 ± 0.38 mg/kg respectively compared to the control concentrations of 4.24 ± 0.07 mg/kg and 25.71 ± 0.82 mg/kg for the area. Samples from DS 2 and DS 3 have the highest nickel concentrations of 134 ± 0.5 mg/kg and 109.34 ± 4.80 mg/kg respectively while the control concentration for this metal is 12 ± 0.09 mg/kg for the area and the international allowable limit for the metal as endorsed by FEPA is 50 mg/kg