The waste generated from cement manufacturing is an important source of heavy metal contamination of groundwater and soil. This study investigated the concentration of toxic metals in the soil of a major cement factory and nearby groundwater. Ecological and carcinogenic risks of the metals were calculated. Potential reproductive toxicity and genotoxic effects of the samples were assessed in the sex and somatic cells of male mice using sperm abnormalities and bone marrow micronucleus (MN) assays, respectively. Also, the serum ALP, ALT, AST, total testosterone (TT), luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH); and liver SOD and CAT activities were measured in the treated mice. Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, Mn, Cd, and Pb levels in the soil and groundwater exceeded the allowable maximum standard. Ingestion and dermal contact were the most probable routes of human exposure with children having about 3 times higher probability of exposure to the metals than adults. Ni, Pb, and Cr presented carcinogenic risks in children and adults. In the MN result, nuclear abnormalities in the studied mice especially micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes increased significantly (P < 0.05). Compared to the negative control, the ratio of PCE/NCE showed the cytotoxicity of the 2 samples. Data further showed a significant increase in the serum ALP, AST, and ALT while the liver CAT and SOD activities concomitantly decreased in the exposed mice. Sperm morphology results showed that the samples contained constituents capable of inducing reproductive toxicity in exposed organisms, with alterations to the concentrations of TT, LH, and FSH. Toxic metal constituents of the samples were believed to induce these reported reproductive toxicity and genotoxic effects. These results showed the environmental pollution caused by cement factories and the potential effects the pollutants might have on exposed eukaryotic organisms.

In this study, the level of toxic metals and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the simulated leachate of the soil of a cocoa farm and a nearby river was investigated. Potential mutagenic and genotoxic effects of the river and simulated leachate were evaluated using Ames Salmonella fluctuation assay (Salmonella typhimurium strains TA100 and TA98) and SOS chromotest (Escherichia coli PQ37), respectively. The level of copper, cadmium, arsenic, chromium, nickel, lead, and iron in both the simulated leachate and the river sample was higher than the allowable maximum standard. The concentration of total OCPs was 9.62 and 108.89 mu g/L in the river sample and simulated leachate, respectively. The concentrations of total hexachlorocyclohexanes and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane were significantly higher than the standards. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane was the main pollutant in the two samples. Data from the Ames Salmonella fluctuation assay indicated that the tested samples were mutagenic. Similarly, the data from the SOS chromotest corroborate the Ames assay's result. In the E. coli PQ37 system, the two samples induced significant SOS response, an indication of genotoxicity. Comparing the two microbial assays, the E. coli PQ37 showed a slightly higher sensitivity than the Ames Salmonella assay for the detection of genotoxins in the present study. The chemical and organic constituents of the samples were believed to induce these reported genetic and mutagenic effects. These results showed the environmental pollution caused by the indiscriminate use of pesticides in cocoa farming and the potential effects the pollutants might have on exposed aquatic organisms and the human populace.