Health Implications of Lemna Dumpsite in Calabar Municipality, Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

Lemna solid waste dumpsites is found within cities of Calabar and due to poor and ineffective management, the dumpsites turn to sources of serious concern to the people living in the vicinity of the site. Polluted air, leachate release from the site to the ground water, activities of scavengers in the site, bad odour, incubation and proliferation of flies, mosquitoes, and rodents; that, in turn, are disease transmitters with their effect on population’s health, has its organic defenses in a formative and creative state. This study therefore sought to evaluate the health implication of Lemna dumpsite in Calabar on the residents living around the site. Data were collected from 309 household heads, through the use of self- administered questionnaires. Households’ heads were selected through the use of simple random sampling technique. Data collected were subjected to analysis using principal component factor analysis. Result shows that cardiovascular diseases, birth defects, immune system defects, weakening of lungs functions, lung cancer, kidney problems, liver disease, skin cancer, stomach infections, liver failure, kidney failure and polio have the highest loading in factor one meaning that there are not prevalence in the study area although there are in existence as seen from the communalities loadings. Whereas, typhoid, cholera, dysentery, malaria and stomach ulcer were the prevalence sickness in the environment because they have the highest factor loadings in factor two. On the severity if such sickness in the study area, it was seen that households only visit hospital often due to the following health condition; birth defects, immune system defects, kidney problems, liver disease, skin cancer, stomach infections, cholera, malaria, dysentery, stomach, ulcer, and typhoid because the above mentioned sicknesses have the highest loadings in factor one (often visit hospital). Conversely, cardiovascular disease, weakening of lungs functions, lung cancer, liver failure, kidney failure and polio have highest factor loading in factor two, meaning that although there is occurrence of this sicknesses in the study area, households rarely visit hospital because of such health condition. Therefore, the study recommends recycling of solid waste, waste to energy incineration, anaerobic digestion, compositing/organic waste recycling, and advanced technologies as waste management control should be encourage in Calabar instead of the use of dumpsite.