Oketayo Oyebamiji Oyedele
Federal University, Nigeria
Title: Assessment of the levels of heavy metals in vegetables from metal recycling companies in Osun state, Nigeria.
Biography
Biography: Oketayo Oyebamiji Oyedele
Abstract
Heavy metal pollution of the environment is an increasingly significant problem. This study was designed to investigate the potential health risks posed by the two metal recycling companies on vegetable crops. Using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (FAAS) (200A MODEL) the concentrations of eight metals (Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Zn) in vegetables (Talinum triangle, Amaranthus hybridus, and Solanecio biafrae) were in the range (100.5-490.5) mg/kg, (0-2.8) mg/kg, (0-15.5) mg/kg, (5.3-135.5) mg/kg, (138.6-1081.2) mg/kg, (35.5-545.4) mg/kg, (5.3-545.2) mg/kg, (39.5-1380.0) respectively. The mean concentrations were in the order of Fe > Zn > Ca > Mn > Mg > Cu > Cr > Cd. Generally and relative to the control, vegetables from the sites were slightly enriched in Cu, Mn and Zn (EF = 1.61-8.02) while Talinum triangle were highly enriched in Mn (EF=28.21-28.81). Using SPSS 17, the result indicated that significant differences (p < 0.05) exists between the levels of these metals and control. The levels of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn from sites were also found greater than FAO/WHO (2011) safe limits but within for samples from control. The accumulation factors (AF) were >1 for some heavy metals in vegetables from the sites, indicating that vegetables from these areas are not good for consumption.