Abstract: Levels of heavy metals: cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg) were investigated in the vegetables (carrots and tomatoes) planted on farms near the old mining sites in Jos, Plateau State. The vegetables were planted and harvested during the two seasons, dry and raining seasons of 2014. Atomic absorption spectrometry was used for the analyses. The results showed that concentrations of most of the metals were above the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) maximum permissible limit. Cadmium (Cd) concentration ranged from 0.01–0.45mg/kg, lead (Pb) concentrations ranged from 0.01– 0.43mg/kg, arsenic (As) concentrations ranged from 0.02 -1.20mg/kg lastly, mercury (Hg) concentrations ranged from 0.01 – 0.39mg/kg. The concentrations of the metals followed the order of Cd< Pb < As < Hg. It was observed that the uptake of metals by tomatoes was higher than carrots’ uptake.
Keywords: heavy metals, vegetables, atomic absorption spectrometry, FAO/WHO maximum permissible limit.
Title: Determination of the Contamination Levels of Cadmium, Lead, Arsenic and Mercury in the Vegetables from Old Mining Site of Jos Plateau, Nigeria
Author: DORCAS OLUYEMI JOSEPH, JOSEPH NDANUSA EGILA, SUNDAY JOHN SALAMI
International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Innovations
ISSN 2348-1218 (print), ISSN 2348-1226 (online)
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