Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

Evaluation of Heavy Metal Contamination of Soils alongside Awka- Enugu Road, Southeastern Nigeria

D. E. Ezemokwe, C. B. Ichu, J. N. Okoro, A. I. Opara

Asian Journal of Environment & Ecology · pp. 1–11 · Published 22 Aug 2017

10.9734/AJEE/2017/34865

Abstract

Fourteen top soil samples were collected from old Awka-Enugu road passing through Obioma, Nsude, Ngwo and Abor communities. Samples were taken from a depth of 10-15cm after making a hole with a pick axe. Total concentrations of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), cobalt (Co), and chromium (Cr) were determined using a Buck 210 VGP atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS).Soil contamination was evaluated with pollution index (Pi) and index of enrichment factor (EF) concept. The enrichment factor of copper (Cu) was observed to be generally low across the study area. This implies that Cu toxicity in the area is not significant. However, the enrichment and pollution indices of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) were observed to be high within the study area.The study area was observed to be highly contaminated by cadmium and lead but moderately contaminated with respect to nickel, zinc and chromium. The enrichment and pollution trends of the metals in descending order shows Cd > Pb > Ni > Zn > Cu > Cr > Co. In summary, the total heavy metal concentrations of soils studied were slightly higher than previously reported levels for similar soils which suggest some degree of heavy metal pollution.

Pollution index enrichment factor heavy metals contamination health risk level

References (12)

  1. 1 Chemical equilibria in soils
  2. 2 Environmental chemistry of the elements
  3. 3 Introduction to Geochemistry [DOI]
  4. 4 Heavy metal contamination of urban soils and street dusts in Hong Kong [DOI]
  5. 5 A comparative study of heavy metal concentration and distribution in deposited street dusts in a large and a small urban area: Birmingham and Coventry, West Midlands, UK [DOI]
  6. 6 Health impacts of domestic coal use in China [DOI]
  7. 7 Integrated assessment of heavy metal (Pb, Zn, Cd) highway pollution: bioaccumulation in soil, Graminaceae and land snails [DOI]
  8. 8 Metal Contamination in British Urban Dusts and Soils [DOI]
  9. 9 Assessment of Cd, Pb and Zn contamination in roadside soils and grasses from Gipuzkoa (Spain) [DOI]
  10. 10 Assessment of metal concentration in the sediment cores of Manakudy estuary, south west coast of India.
  11. 11 Characteristic levels of heavy metals in soil profiles of automobile mechanic waste dumps in Nigeria [DOI]
  12. 12 Temporal Variability of Metal Contamination in Urban Road-deposited Sediment in Manchester, UK: Implications for Urban Pollution Monitoring [DOI]

Cited by 17

Adverse health effects of heavy metal pollution in the Enugu Area, Southeastern Nigeria

F. O. Ajibola, I. Onyeyili, Maryann Seyram Adabra · World Journal of Biology Pharmacy and Health Sciences · 2024

Nickel toxicology testing in alternative specimen from farm ruminants in a urban polluted environment

Zafar Iqbal Khan, Fatima Ghulam Muhammad, K. Ahmad · Journal of King Saud University: Science · 2024

Cobalt availability in the soil plant and animal food chain: a study under a peri-urban environment.

Z. Khan, W. Liu, I. Mubeen · Brazilian journal of biology = Revista brasleira de biologia · 2023

Ecological risk assessment of heavy metal chromium in a contaminated pastureland area in the Central Punjab, Pakistan: soils vs plants vs ruminants

Fu Chen, Fatima Ghulam Muhammad, Z. Khan · Environmental science and pollution research international · 2021

Bioaccumulation and transfer of zinc in soil plant and animal system: a health risk assessment for the grazing animals

Fu Chen, Fatima Ghulam Muhammad, Z. Khan · Environmental science and pollution research international · 2021

Evaluation of Heavy Metal Pollution from Vehicular Exhausts in Soils along a Highway, Southwestern Nigeria

K. Ayinde, S. Omotosho, O. O. Oyesiku · International Journal of Environment Agriculture and Biotechnology · 2020

Showing 13 of 17 known citations — external sources report more than can currently be individually listed.

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

20

Page views

0

PDF downloads

1

Outbound clicks

17

Citations

Views over time

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.