Assessment of Heavy Metals Content in Sewage Discharges from Health Structure in Mauritania

This study was carried to assess the quality of liquid waste produced by the Nouakchott Friendship Hospital in Mauritania, the aim is to quantify different heavy metals obtained from discharge of the hospital waste six heavy metals (arsenic, lead, cobalt, chromium, cadmium and copper) were object of evaluation. Analysis was carried using inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) method and the standards used are those of the WHO. The average content of heavy metals in different samples is different: Arsenic (4.625 μg/L), Lead (3.800 μg/L), Cyanide (0.05 μg/L), Chromium (0.013 μg/L), Cadmium (< LD (0.000000012 μg/L) and Copper (60 μg/L). Results showed that the samples of liquid waste from the Nouakchott Friendship Hospital were very loaded with pollutants, this may constitute a threat to the environment and a potential health risk for human, since the continuous introduction of these heavy metals into aquatic medium could be harmful through bioaccumulation and biomagnifications.