LEAD METAL EXPOSURE TO RESIDENTS RESIDING IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENT
A CASE STUDY OF RESIDENTS IN NAKURU MUNICIPALITY, KENYA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58216/kjri.v3i1.11Keywords:
Lead, AAS, Heavy metal, Toxicity, Nitric acid, Hair, Slum, Dumpsites, Sewer prone.Abstract
The study was conducted with the aim of determining the level of lead exposure to residents living in slum areas, sewage areas and close to waste dumpsites of Nakuru Municipality using a sample of 120 individuals. Cross sectional study design, was adopted where a representative proportion of the population at different age groups was included in three sites, viz: dump site, slum areas and sewage prone areas. The level of lead exposure was determined by subjecting human hair samples to Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy tests after wet acid digestion using Nitric acid analytical grade. Result indicate that the incidence of presence of lead in samples were 0.45±0.106; 0.17±0.064 and 0.29±0.057 of 0-6, 6-17 and >17 years of age respectively. There was a significant difference (P≤0.05) among sites with majority of those sampled from dump site having 5 g/l and above. This study therefore concludes that, Nakuru being one of the fastest growing towns in East Africa faces a high level of Lead heavy metal contamination among residents, a fact that has not been documented as a necessity in accommodating the growing population, industrial, and commercial activity.
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