Influence of Land Use on the Soil Heavy Metal Content of a Community Adjacent to an Active Landfill

Abstract

Many factors influence the distribution of heavy metals in the environment. Land use, including industries, roadways, and landfills, are known to translocate heavy metals to adjacent soils through dry deposition, leachate, and fly ash. This study investigated how land use including land activities and roadways influence the soil heavy metal content in Beetham Gardens, an underserved community adjacent to the Beetham Landfill in Trinidad and Tobago. Eleven field samples and one control sample were analyzed for six metals using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. The metals were ranked as Cd < Cr < Pb < Zn < Mn < Cu, based on average concentrations of 2.01, 17.85, 91.24, 162.38, 219.15, and 273.24mg/kg, respectively. Sites associated with open burning of copper wires and those closest to the landfill showed strong pollution, clear anthropogenic influence, and elevated ecological risks. Industrial and recreational areas were generally lightly polluted with low ecological risk. Roadway-adjacent sites, particularly those along the highway and downwind of the landfill, recorded the highest metal concentrations. Several locations had metal levels statistically similar to or exceeding Canadian Soil Quality Guidelines for Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cr, indicating the potential for ongoing environmental degradation.