Contamination of soil and grass in the Tsumeb smelter area,Namibia: Modeling of contaminants dispersion and ground geochemical verification |
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| Institution: | 1. Czech Geological Survey, Geologická 6, 152 00 Prague 5, Czech Republic;2. Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, Department of the Environment, Na Šabatce 17, 14306 Prague 4, Czech Republic;3. University of Namibia, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Private Bag 13301 Windhoek, Namibia;4. Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Albertov 6, 128 43 Praha 2, Czech Republic;5. Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 21 Praha 6, Czech Republic;6. Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Palacky University in Olomouc, 17. listopadu 12, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic;1. Centre for Coastal and Catchment Research, River Basin Dynamics and Hydrology Research Group, Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 3DB, UK;2. School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL55 1YW, UK;3. Innovative River Solutions, Institute of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand;1. Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia;2. Department of Economics, Center for Disaster and Risk Analysis, Colorado State University, C-312A Clark Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1771, USA;1. CT-scanner Facility, Central Analytical Facilities, Stellenbosch University, South Africa;2. Department of Earth Sciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa;3. Department of Soil Science, Stellenbosch University, South Africa;1. UMR 8148 GEOPS, Univ. Paris Sud – CNRS-Université Paris-Saclay, 91405 Cedex, France;2. UnB, IG/GMP-ICC Centro, Campus Universitario Darcy Ribeiro, 70910-970, Brasilia-DF, Brazil/Laboratoire Mixte International, LMI OCE « Observatoire des Changements Environnementaux », Institut de Recherche pour le Développement/University of Brasilia, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Brasilia, Brazil;3. Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Charles University in Prague, Albertov 6, 12843 Prague 2, Czech Republic;4. Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Univ. Paris Diderot, UMR 7154 CNRS, F-75005 Paris, France;5. IFREMER, Centre de Brest, Unité Géosciences Marines, 29280, Plouzané, France |
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| Abstract: | The area of the city of Tsumeb in northern Namibia is strongly affected by gaseous emissions and by dust fallout from the local smelter. This is also reflected in increased concentrations of lead and arsenic in blood and urine of the residents. Consequently, modeling of the dispersion of dust and SO2 emissions from the smelter was used in this study to delineate the contaminated area and to assess the health risks. The modeling results were verified by ground-based geochemical survey of soil and grass in the area. The results of modeling revealed that the concentrations of SO2 in the Tsumeb town were relatively low, whereas the highest dust fallout concentrations were found around the Tsumeb smelter. The Tsumeb town residential area was less affected due to favorable landscape morphology between the smelter and the city (the Tsumeb Hills).The results of modeling of dust fallout and geochemical survey coincided very well. Since the anthropogenic contamination was bound only to the surface layer of soil, the local soils were sampled at two depth horizons: topsoil and the deeper soil horizon. This enabled us to distinguish between the anthropogenic contamination of soil surface from natural (geogenic) concentrations of studied metals in the deeper part of the soil profile. Concentrations of metals in grass correlated with the concentration of metals in topsoil.In contrast to a good conformity with the modeling of dust fallout from the smelter and geochemical survey, the results of modeling of SO2 contents in the air, and total sulfur content in soils were different. Differences can be explained by additional sources of contamination, as for example a sulfate-rich dust fallout from local tailings ponds and slag dumps that were not considered in the SO2 dispersion model.The results of the present investigation can be used by the mining companies in the management of air quality, assessment of the efficacy of applied remediation measures, and in reducing the impact of dust fallout on the local ecosystem. The Municipal Administration may use these results to plan further development of the city of Tsumeb, especially in terms of further expansion of housing construction. |
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| Keywords: | Metals Contamination Soil Grass Dust dispersion modeling Smelter |
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