The soil environment is a reservoir of nutrients as well as pollutants,and because of this,most of our food items are ladened with lots of pollutants ranging from fertilizers,pesticides,herbicides to heavy metals(HM)....The soil environment is a reservoir of nutrients as well as pollutants,and because of this,most of our food items are ladened with lots of pollutants ranging from fertilizers,pesticides,herbicides to heavy metals(HM).The consumption of these contaminated food items has serious implication on the health and economic status of the populace.These pollutants have also been implicated in causing several problems to plants.This study investigated heavy metals and health risk analysis of arable farmlands in selected Local Government Areas(Donga,Ussa and Takum)of Taraba state Nigeria.Samples obtained were processed and the concentration of following heavy metals(Pb,Cd,Cr,Hg,and As)were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry(AAS).The results showed that Chromium had a very high concentration across all the study areas with values ranging from 1.40mg/kg to 2.30 mg/kg.The concentration of Cadmium and Arsenic were moderate,with values ranging from 0.03mg/kg to 0.08mg/kg while Lead and Mercury had the lowest concentration of less than 0.03mg/kg across the three LGAs respectively.The following ecological and health risk assessments parameters;Target Cancer Risk or Target Hazard Quotient(THQ),Hazard Index(HI)and Estimated Daily Intake(EDI)were determined to assess the carcinogenic health risks by consuming produce from such farmlands.Ussa LGA recorded the highest concentration of heavy metals,with the highest health risk index followed by Takum whereas Donga had the lowest risk factors from the analysis.The study showed bioaccumulation of toxicants from the soil to crops and grazing plants across the study areas which was as a result of chemical farming that polluted and contaminated the soil,thus posing risk to the populace.展开更多
文摘The soil environment is a reservoir of nutrients as well as pollutants,and because of this,most of our food items are ladened with lots of pollutants ranging from fertilizers,pesticides,herbicides to heavy metals(HM).The consumption of these contaminated food items has serious implication on the health and economic status of the populace.These pollutants have also been implicated in causing several problems to plants.This study investigated heavy metals and health risk analysis of arable farmlands in selected Local Government Areas(Donga,Ussa and Takum)of Taraba state Nigeria.Samples obtained were processed and the concentration of following heavy metals(Pb,Cd,Cr,Hg,and As)were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry(AAS).The results showed that Chromium had a very high concentration across all the study areas with values ranging from 1.40mg/kg to 2.30 mg/kg.The concentration of Cadmium and Arsenic were moderate,with values ranging from 0.03mg/kg to 0.08mg/kg while Lead and Mercury had the lowest concentration of less than 0.03mg/kg across the three LGAs respectively.The following ecological and health risk assessments parameters;Target Cancer Risk or Target Hazard Quotient(THQ),Hazard Index(HI)and Estimated Daily Intake(EDI)were determined to assess the carcinogenic health risks by consuming produce from such farmlands.Ussa LGA recorded the highest concentration of heavy metals,with the highest health risk index followed by Takum whereas Donga had the lowest risk factors from the analysis.The study showed bioaccumulation of toxicants from the soil to crops and grazing plants across the study areas which was as a result of chemical farming that polluted and contaminated the soil,thus posing risk to the populace.
