ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METAL CONTAMINATION OF SOIL AND CASSAVA PLANTS WITHIN THE VICINITY OF A CEMENT FACTORY IN NORTH CENTRAL, NIGERIA
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301201397_Assessment_of_heavy_metal_contamination_of_soil_and_cassava_plants_within_the_vicinity_of_a_cement_factory_in_north_central_Nigeria
Human activities such as industrial production, mining, agriculture and transportation, release high amounts of heavy metals into surface/ ground water, soils and ultimately to the biosphere. Environmental pollution by heavy metals has been on the rise in recent times. Cement manufacture is one of such activities that contribute to environmental pollution through the emission of gasses and cement dust. Cement dust is largely made up of cement-kiln that is a by-product and it is usually stored as waste in open-pit and unlined landfills. This dust can spread over large areas through wind and rain and are accumulated in and on soils and plants. Some of the metals usually found in the dust emissions from cement plants include arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury and thallium, aluminum, beryllium, chromium, copper, manganese, nickel, lead and zinc among others. Excessive accumulation of these heavy metals in agricultural soils, resulting in elevated heavy metal uptake by food crops, is of great concern because of potential health risk to man and animal. Obajana is a small area in Kogi State, North central, Nigeria, where a cement factory is situated and it has been in operation for more than a decade. The people of Obajana are engaged in medium scale agriculture where rice, sweet potatoes, maize, millets, pepper, cassava and cowpea are the commonly cultivated crops. Within the vicinity of the cement plant which is the study area, cassava is the most common and important crop cultivated. Owing to the proximity of these cassava farms to the cement factory, there is a possibility of the cassava crops been contaminated with heavy metals. A large variety of products (garri, fufu, abacha e.t.c) can be processed from the edible portion of the cassava tubers for human consumption. Thus, it constitutes one of the major ingredients in the local staple of the people of Obajana and by extension, Nigerians. It is well established that high exposure to trace metals like, As, Cr, Ni and Pb in cassava could result in an array of diseases to both human and animals. Apart from cassava, other vegetables can take up and accumulate heavy metals in quantities high enough to cause clinical problems to humans. Food safety is an important aspect of a nation’s economic stability and due to previous reports on the degree of pollution of some food items, this study was aimed at assessing the soil and cassava crops within the vicinity of the cement factory for the presence/ concentration of some heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) as the toxicity of these elements have been reported extensively.Please, follow the link above to read the full article.
Human activities such as industrial production, mining, agriculture and transportation, release high amounts of heavy metals into surface/ ground water, soils and ultimately to the biosphere. Environmental pollution by heavy metals has been on the rise in recent times. Cement manufacture is one of such activities that contribute to environmental pollution through the emission of gasses and cement dust. Cement dust is largely made up of cement-kiln that is a by-product and it is usually stored as waste in open-pit and unlined landfills. This dust can spread over large areas through wind and rain and are accumulated in and on soils and plants. Some of the metals usually found in the dust emissions from cement plants include arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury and thallium, aluminum, beryllium, chromium, copper, manganese, nickel, lead and zinc among others. Excessive accumulation of these heavy metals in agricultural soils, resulting in elevated heavy metal uptake by food crops, is of great concern because of potential health risk to man and animal. Obajana is a small area in Kogi State, North central, Nigeria, where a cement factory is situated and it has been in operation for more than a decade. The people of Obajana are engaged in medium scale agriculture where rice, sweet potatoes, maize, millets, pepper, cassava and cowpea are the commonly cultivated crops. Within the vicinity of the cement plant which is the study area, cassava is the most common and important crop cultivated. Owing to the proximity of these cassava farms to the cement factory, there is a possibility of the cassava crops been contaminated with heavy metals. A large variety of products (garri, fufu, abacha e.t.c) can be processed from the edible portion of the cassava tubers for human consumption. Thus, it constitutes one of the major ingredients in the local staple of the people of Obajana and by extension, Nigerians. It is well established that high exposure to trace metals like, As, Cr, Ni and Pb in cassava could result in an array of diseases to both human and animals. Apart from cassava, other vegetables can take up and accumulate heavy metals in quantities high enough to cause clinical problems to humans. Food safety is an important aspect of a nation’s economic stability and due to previous reports on the degree of pollution of some food items, this study was aimed at assessing the soil and cassava crops within the vicinity of the cement factory for the presence/ concentration of some heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) as the toxicity of these elements have been reported extensively.Please, follow the link above to read the full article.
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