Health Implications of Heavy Metals Pollution in Well-water at Automobile Workshops Areas in Makurdi Metropolis-benue State, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64321/jcr.v3i3.06Keywords:
Health Implications, Well-water, Heavy metals, Pollution, Automobile WorkshopAbstract
This quantitative study determined the heavy metal concentration in well-water (Wells) located within selected automobile workshops in Benue State. The concentration of different metals including lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co) were analyzed following proper digestion method described in the AOAC. All the metal contents were compared with the established permissible limit provided by NESREA, US-EPA, and WHO, and as reported by different authors. The concentrations of Pb, Cd, Fe, Cu, Mn, Cr and Ni from the experimental sites were significantly above the permissible limits for drinking water. Across all well-water samples in the automobile workshops, Fe > Cu > Zn > Cr > Mn > Pb > Cd > As > Hg, while in the control sample, Zn > Cu > Mn > Cr > Fe > Pb > Cd. In conclusion, the heavy metal accumulation levels of well water selected from experimental sites were slightly higher than their corresponding control sample, with most elements significantly higher than their respective permissible limits. 60.0% of the 11 heavy metals analyzed from the experimental sites were found to be above their permissible limits, while 58.3% of heavy metals in the control sample were above the permissible limits.
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