ZANCO Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences The official scientific journal of Salahaddin University-Erbil ZJPAS (2017), 29 ( 6 ); 18-27 http://dx.doi.org/10.21271/ZJPAS.29.6.3 Effect of landfill leachates extract of Erbil city on abnormal sperm morphology and chromosomal aberrations in male albino mice Yahya A. Shekha 1* Mustafa S. Al-Attar 1 Mohammed A. Saleem 2 Janan J. Toma 1 Siraj M. Abdulla 1 1 Environmental Sciences Department, College of Science- Salahaddin University, Erbil 2 Biology Department, College of Science- Salahaddin University, Erbil. 1. INTRODUCTION Erbil, one of the largely populated city in the northern part of Iraq with nearly more than 1 million inhabitants (Shekha, 2011). Annual generation of municipal solid wastes estimated as 14.4027 x 10 4 kg (Shekha, 2011; Aziz et al., 2011). The increase in solid waste production became inevitable and will continue mainly due to accelerated industrialisation, urbanisation, and population growth (Bakare et al., 2013). The composition of MSW in Erbil city consists of 76% Food scraps, 5% plastics and nylon, 4% glass and porcelain, 5% paper, 3% for each metal and yard trimming, 2% for textile and miscellaneous wastes (Shekha, 2011; Aziz et al., 2011; Wali, 2011; Sabir, 2002). Leachate contains significant amounts of organic matter which is a great threat to the around soil; groundwater even surface water (Bundela et al., 2012). Landfill leachate is a mixture of four major groups of pollutants: dissolved organic matter, inorganic components, heavy metals and xenobiotic organic compounds, other compounds that may be present, but in rare amounts are boron, arsenic, selenium, lithium, mercury, and cobalt (Bakare et al., 2013; Alimba et al., 2012). During disposal and processing of solid wastes in landfills and dump sites, they undergo a A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T Article History: Received: 28/05/2017 Accepted: 29/08/2017 Published: 23/1/2018 This study examined the potential mutagenic effects of leachates from Erbil landfill which located at Kani- Kerzhala area south-west of the city through using mice bone marrow chromosome aberration assay and epididymis and vas Sperm abnormality assay. Raw leachate obtained directly from the landfill and simulated leachate obtained via the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) category-A extraction procedure examined for their physical and chemical properties. Different concentrations (2.5%, 5%, 10%, and 15%) of the leachate were administered intraperitoneally for two consecutive days to male Swiss albino mice (5 mice/group). The increase in the number of sperm obtains with abnormal morphology through using the test mixtures induced a dose-dependent, and statistical analysis shows significant differences (P < 0.01) confirm this results. The bone marrow cells examined post treatment show structural chromosomal abnormalities such as chromosome breaks, chromosome gaps, ring chromosome, and acentrics chromosome. The induction was dose dependent. The result of present study indicate that landfill leachates can induce genotoxicity in mouse and suggest potential health risk to human populations. There is the need for a shift from waste disposal to sustainable waste management. Awareness about possible health impacts or consequences of exposure to solid waste should also be illustrated through health education. Keywords: Landfill leachates, sperm morphology, chromosome aberration *Corresponding Author: Yahya A. Shekha yahya.shekha@su.edu.krd yahyanian@gmail.com