Contamination and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Stream Sediments of Bambui Area, Western Cameroon

The Bambui area is located at the foot of the Bamenda Mountains, which is part of the Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL). The study area consists of different rock types such as alkali basalt, trachyte, rhyolite and ignimbrite with a granitic basement of the Pan Africa Fold belt. The main objective of this work was to assess the contamination and risk pose by heavy metals in stream sediments of Bambui area. Heavy metal in the representative stream sediment samples collected were determined using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). Elevated levels of Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Th, V, Zn, La, Fe and Ti could be attributed to geological and anthropogenic metal input sources in the area. Assessment of contamination factor, degree of contamination, modified degree of contamination, enrichment factor, ecological risk factor and potential ecological risk index showed that the sediments had a low to high ecological risk index. Pollution load index (0.78-1.60), geo-accumulation load index (1.73-5641.91) and anthropogenic metal input (0-5.25) indicate heavy metal contamination in the study area. Geological origin, agricultural practices, municipal waste disposal and animal manure were identiï¬ ed as the major sources of heavy metals in the stream sediments of the study area.