Radiation Health Risk to Human Scavengers at Refuse Dumpsites in Calabar, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction Refused dumpsites are known to be associated with enhanced level of ionizing radiation depending on the items that constitute the refuse. Exposure to chronic levels of exposure from these refuse dumpsites could result in severe health risk. Materials and Methods Calabar was divided into three sections depending on the location for ease of data collection. The dumpsites in each section were identified by their geographical coordinates using geographical positioning system (GPS) device. Exposures were measured using an exposure meter in µSv/h and converted to annual effective dose rate in mSv/yr. The effective dose rate values were used in evaluating the cancer incidence and mortality for male and female using conversion factors in BEIR VII. Results The annual effective dose rates for the waste dumpsites in Calabar ranged from 0.15 – 0.36 mSv/yr, with one dumpsite in Section C having the highest value annual effective dose rate of 0.36 mSv/yr. The corresponding observed maximum values of cancer incidence for male and female respectively were 110 and 154 persons per 100,000 persons while the cancer mortality for male and female were respectively 61 and 86 persons per 100,000 persons. Conclusion The study shows enhanced levels of ionizing radiation around waste dumpsites in Calabar. The effective dose rates were lower than the established occupational effective dose. The cancer incidence and mortality evaluated for males and females were low. However, there is need to control the activities of scavengers around the waste dump to further minimize the cancer risk.