Heavy metal pollution in soil and surface sediments of Meycauayan River, Philippines and their relationship to environmental indicators

College

Gokongwei College of Engineering

Department/Unit

Chemical Engineering

Document Type

Article

Source Title

Soil and Sediment Contamination

Volume

32

Issue

8

First Page

1033

Last Page

1052

Publication Date

2023

Abstract

The City of Meycauayan is an industrial powerhouse in the Philippines.
It is considered as one of the most polluted cities in the developing
world on the account of industrial discharges of toxic materials to the
environment. This work investigated the sources of the heavy metal
pollution in Meycauayan by analyzing soil and sediment samples for
heavy metals like Chromium (Cr), Mercury (Hg), Nickel (Ni), and Lead
(Pb) together with selected environmental indicators such as Total
Nitrogen (TN), Total Organic Matter (TOM), and Total Phosphorus
(TP) located along the Meycauayan River. Hierarchical cluster analysis
(HCA), principal components analysis (PCA), and Pearson correlation
analysis (CA) were used to identify the sources of the metals. Our
results show delineated locations of severe levels of heavy metal
pollution downstream of the river because of the concentration of
industrial activities. Cr is due to proliferation of tanneries discharging
untreated wastewaters to the river. Significant input of Pb and Hg from
Pb-acid battery recycling and gold smelting industries were also
found. The risk assessments also indicate severe levels of heavy
metal pollution in locations where industrial activities are concen-
trated. Our findings indicate that the heavy metals have similar
impacts to K, TN, TOM, and TP in the soil and sediments. Our study
shows the serious need to address heavy metal pollution in
Meycauayan aside from the ongoing cleanup of solid wastes as part
of rehabilitation efforts by the local government.

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Disciplines

Chemical Engineering

Keywords

Soils—Heavy metal content—Philippines—Meycauayan River; Water—Pollution—Philippines—Meycauayan River

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