A Preliminary Assessment of Soil Samples Around a Filling Station in Diobu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

摘要

This research study is carried out to evaluate the effects of fuel station on surrounding soil. Twelve (12) soil samples were collected at intervals of four years (2000 and 2004) and were analyses. Generally, in both years, strong correlation coefficients suggest anthropogenic inputs while weak to moderate correlations implies natural sources. The 2000 and 2004 data also revealed higher concentrations at 2000 than 2004. This observation could be due to dilution, diffusion and dispersion over the period. The data acquired were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis and Contamination Factor (CF) index calculation. Both factor and cluster analyses show that natural and anthropogenic influences contributed to the variable sources. Directly linked to the fuel station were TOC, N, OG, Pb, Ni and Mn while PO_4 and NO_3 were related to chemical fertilizer application on farmlands. Other variables such as Cu, Ca, Mg, Zn and Fe may be due to natural processes. Contamination Factor (CF) for Zn, Fe and Cu in both years suggests some degree of enrichment. While the rest heavy metals recorded low contamination, Fe revealed moderate contamination.