Spatial Variation, Speciation, and Carcinogenic Hazards of Cadmium Formulations in Groundwater Networks Near Batteries

International Journal of Chemistry | Vol. 11, No. 1, January 2020 | pp. 1–8

DOI: 10.46882/2020/IJC/000135

Article Type: Original Research Paper

Title: Spatial Variation, Speciation, and Carcinogenic Hazards of Cadmium Formulations in Groundwater Networks Near Batteries

Names of Authors: T. H. Awotunde¹, R. A. Silva²*

Authors’ Affiliations:
¹Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria.
²Department of Environmental Chemistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Abstract: Industrial battery processing operations discharge massive amounts of cadmium-rich effluents into surrounding topsoils, causing heavy metal leaching into shallow drinking water wells. This study monitors the spatial variations, chemical speciation, and carcinogenic health risk profiles of cadmium compounds across twenty household wells positioned around an active electronic industrial estate. Water monitoring was carried out over consecutive wet and dry cycles. Total cadmium levels and carcinogenic cadmium fractions were quantified utilizing ion chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (IC-ICP-MS). Total cadmium concentrations ranged from 12.5 to 145.8 μg/L, with 45% of monitored groundwater sites surpassing the strict WHO drinkable contaminant threshold of 3.0 μg/L. Speciation analysis showed that toxic free Cd²⁺ was the dominant species, accounting for up to 68.4% of the total metal burden profiles at down-gradient coordinates. Seasonal mapping confirmed elevated cadmium mobilization during the rainy period, indicating rain-induced plume leaching. Chronic Daily Intake (CDI) projections and Lifetime Cancer Risk (LCR) indices for child consumption cohorts surpassed 2.4 in 10,000 near industrial boundaries, emphasizing an immediate public healthcare concern and a need for local membrane filtration arrays.

Keywords: Groundwater pollution; Cadmium speciation; Free metal ions; Ion chromatography; Battery effluents; Cancer risk assessment

Manuscript Timeline: Received: June 02, 2019; Revised: July 14, 2019; Accepted: August 10, 2019; Published: January 03, 2020.

Citation: Awotunde, T. H., & Silva, R. A. (2020). Spatial Variation, Speciation, and Carcinogenic Hazards of Cadmium Formulations in Groundwater Networks Near Batteries. International Journal of Chemistry, 11(1), 1–8.

Subscribe to read the full article: https://www.internationalscholarsjournals.org/subscribe-to-read