TITLE:
Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals Concentrations in Topsoil of Makurdi and Its Environs
AUTHORS:
Ada Florence Ogli, Adams Udoji Itodo, Raymond Ahulle Wuana, Rufus Sha’Ato
KEYWORDS:
Pollution, Contamination, Single Indices, Integrated Indices, Makurdi
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.11 No.8,
August
22,
2023
ABSTRACT: This work examined the concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb pollution
in soil and estimated the potential ecological risks of these metals in
Makurdi and its environs, using established pollution indices. The information
derived from pollution indices will help to assess the extent, and intensity of
anthropogenic contaminant deposition on surface soil in the study area. The
soil samples were collected from sixteen (16) locations across the
investigated sites, sampled as appropriate and treated using established methods and
analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). The findings have revealed
that the concentrations of the metals in the topsoil samples were arranged in
the sequence from increasing to decreasing order thus: Cr > Pb > Cd >
Hg > As. It was observed that the
pollution levels of As and Hg were insignificant, while, the level of pollution
caused by Cd, Cr and Pb ranged from low
level of contamination to high level of contamination across the investigated sites,
except, for the control site (BZ) whose pollution level was insignificant with
respect to the heavy metals studied. The results could be used as preliminary
baseline data for heavy metal concentrations for future assessment and
monitoring. Therefore, there is an urgent need to effect mitigation measures to
reduce the ecological environmental risks, taking into consideration that human
activities which are the main source of pollutants are still ongoing
in the study area.