Impacts of Quarrying Activities on Human Health in Boki Area Cross River State Nigeria

Abstract

Field investigation, trace elements geochemistry, borehole and groundwater data were employed to determine the level of contamination or pollution of heavy and trace elements in abandoned quarrying, agricultural sites and its adjourning communities which are leads and other parts of Boki Local Government Area which have massive basement rocks as prospects for quarry establishment. This preliminary study on geosphere-biosphere becomes useful in medical geology as rock-soil-water-human interactions, and relationships are important and obvious. The mining pits depths range from 30.5 m to 50.0 m, while the boreholes depths is 41.0 m to 45.0 m and the thickness of regolith soil weathered Feralsols soil and less weathered Acrisols soil, varies from 22.0 m to 35.0 m in places. The Geochemical data obtained indicates Ba, Th, Ce, Zn, Zr are high in all rocks while Cr and Ni are generally low. In the water samples, some borehole values for the faecal pollution are high and indicates the water is contaminated, CaCO₃, Mg are high, while NO₂, F are low, when compared with established data from WHO standards, they indicates anomalies. The high Ba contents in a previous laboratory animals study shows it can cause nephropathy, but not carcinogenic or genotoxic. The identified boreholes water that are contaminated should be disinfected before use. For a sustainable quarry development in the area, there should be an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) with a clear baseline data, reclamation, remedial and rehabilitation procedures before abandonment at the end of the life of the quarries.