COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS AND PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATION OF HEAVYMETALS IN COMBUSTED COAL AND COAL

ABSTRACTResearchers are quite concerned about the concentration of heavy metals as it affects humans andother living organisms. This is especially true of the heavy metals' when present in coal andbottom coal ash. In this study, we compared the levels of heavy metals in coal and bottom coalash, analyzed the findings and compared the toxicity and utility of the findings, to enhance theunderstanding of the level of toxicity and utility of certain heavy metals, in order to determinethrough comparative analysis which of the substance contains the highest level of hazardousheavy metal. Heavy metal concentrations in both substances were measured using an atomicabsorption spectrometer (AAS). The results showed that lead had the highest concentration inboth materials and that its value was significantly higher than the World Health Organization's(WHO) permissible threshold level.In coal, the concentration was 178.65 mg/kg, or 0.0179%,while in bottom coal ash, or combust coal, it was 160.85 mg/kg, or 0.0161%. These findingsindicate that both substances are toxic and environmental pollutant due to their respective valuesof concentration which is significantly higher than the permissible threshold.The findingsindicated that Lead (Pb) is a very toxic substance even at low concentration to living organismhad a higher concentration than in coal than in bottom cool ash while other elements were withinthe WHO permissible value and are of great biological function to living organism. It wasobserved that the concentration of lead in coal is higher than that of bottom coal ash while otherheavy metal had more concentration in bottom coal ash than coal. These findings indicates thatcoal which has become a major material for cooking and other domestic activities could leadissues of public health concern if efforts are not made to ameliorate the situationKEY WORDS: Atomic absorption spectrometer; heavy metal concentration; toxicity; coal andbottom coal ash INTRODUCTIONCoal is not classified as a mineral because it is known to have originated from biological sources.As such, it is referred to as a complex geological material , consisting mostly of organic andmineral materials. It is thought to have formed from the remains of dead animals and plants thatwere exposed to high pressure and temperature for a long time deep beneath the earth's surface.{The way that minerals are used, particularly in combustion, has a big impact on how coal isused. Minerals are also a primary source of elemental coal - as opined by Frankelman; Dai andFrench (2019) Coal is a non-renewable fossil fuel that is combusted and used to...