HEAVY METALS PRESENCE IN MUFULIRA RIVER ON THE COPPER BELT PROVINCE OF ZAMBIA, A CASE STUDY

Heavy metals are elements that can be toxic to human health when consumed in large quantities, some even in trace elements such as Cadmium and Arsenic, and these can be introduced into the water systems through the spilling of mining effluents or damping garbage and other metal-containing materials into natural water bodies (anthropogenic source) or by leachates (natural source) and thereby causing pollution. The Mufulira River receives mining effluents on a daily basis which are carried over along the river to places where people do agriculture, fishing, and domestic activities. This study was carried out in order to investigate the possible presence and concentrations of the elements Cu, Cd, As, Fe, Mn, and Pb in the water that may have been introduced into the river.  AAS was used for analysis. The elements Cu, Cd, As, and Pb were undetected (Below detection limit BDL) during the analysis while Mn (0.069-0.186 ppm) and Fe (0.087-0.193 ppm) were detected.