| dc.description.abstract | Atomic absorption spectroscopic analysis of soils, sediments, water and mosses in the
vicinity of Pan African Paper Mills, Webuye, Kenya has revealed the prevalence of the
heavy metals Cu, Zn, Cr, Cd, Fe and Pb in the environment. Mean concentrations of Zn
ranged between 30.0 and 9 1.0j..Jg/g in soils and 569.2 and 976.9j..Jg/I in water. Mean Fe
concentrations ranged between 2116.6 and 2444.2j..Jg/g in soils, and between 1107.7
and 3170.7j..Jg/I in water. The mean concentrations of Pb and Cd were the lowest,
ranging between 0.3 and 93.9j..Jg/g of dry soil. The concentrations of Fe and Zn in the
soil samples were higher than the rest of the metals analyzed. The concentrations of
these metals varied seasonally with the mean season concentrations of the heavy
metals ranging between 2.8 and 2636.3j..Jg/1 in the water samples and between 6.89
and 2202.4j..Jg/g of dry weight in the sediment samples. The soils and mosses recorded
slightly higher levels of the heavy metals during the dry season. The concentrations of
these heavy metals in water samples downstream of River Nzoia are significantly
higher than the international water quality guidelines as outlined by USEPA, except
for Zn. The data obtained in this work shows that the Pan-African Paper Mill
contributes to the impairment of the environment through atmospheric deposition of
heavy metal particulates in the vicinity of the factory and effluent discharged into the
nearby River Nzoia. This pollution load may playa significant role in the impairment
of plant and animal (human) health in vicinity of the factory. | en_US |
