Analysis of potential sources with heavy metals in a landfill site using preliminary data, A case study in Thailand

Reducing health risks has been a concern for decades due to anthropogenic activities, especially agricultural, industrial, and landfills. Hazardous pollution can spread to the environment by various routes (surface soil, raw water, groundwater, etc.). However, the behavior of natural elements needs to be concerned in terms of potential sources of pollution, and many countries face high levels of heavy metal problems in surface soils and groundwater. This study focuses on both anthropogenic activity and the presence of natural heavy metals to investigate the actual sources of pollution within the site. The landfill is located at Chachonsao, Thailand, where industrial waste such as industrial dust, sludge, and cement has accumulated, and surface soil and shallow groundwater sample analysis shows that most soil samples have high concentrations of arsenic that exceed global healthy soil standards (30 mg/kg). And shallow groundwater samples have been shown to contain high concentrations of arsenic that exceed the WHO global drinking water standard (0.01 mg/L). High levels of arsenic in surface soils can be interpreted as not only in the area of ​​the site but also in the surroundings where this contaminated situation can be interpreted as being caused by the presence of natural heavy metals. Thus, we investigated and analyzed further details at this site to clarify the risk level of heavy metals and also the effect of the natural source of arsenic.