Abstract
Heavy metal pollution is a major environmental problem, especially around highways with high traffic density.
This study investigates the levels of Pb, Cd, Zn and Cu in roadside soils of Wukari section of the Wukari-Jalingo
highway, Taraba state, Nigeria. Samples were randomly collected and analyzed using standard methods. The
mean concentrations (µg/g) of Pb, Cd, Zn and Cu from all sample sites ranged: 89.6-247.0, 0.15-5.3, 26.8-163.0
and 7.1-61.2 respectively. The extent of the heavy metals contamination was assessed, as analytical data were
subjected to pollution calculation methods. The contamination factors (CF) reveal extreme contamination of the
sites and an increasing trend in the heavy metals concentrations was observed in sites with more human
activities. The pollution load index (PLI) showed that the sites are severely polluted as the PLI of the metals from
each sample site exceeded the PLI of the background (control) sample (0.7). Spearman’s rank correlation
analysis showed clear correlations (pconcluded that the study sites pollution is mostly due to automobile emissions. This study provides awareness
for residents to avoid activities such as farming, trading etc very close to the highway due to exposures to these
toxic metals.
This study investigates the levels of Pb, Cd, Zn and Cu in roadside soils of Wukari section of the Wukari-Jalingo
highway, Taraba state, Nigeria. Samples were randomly collected and analyzed using standard methods. The
mean concentrations (µg/g) of Pb, Cd, Zn and Cu from all sample sites ranged: 89.6-247.0, 0.15-5.3, 26.8-163.0
and 7.1-61.2 respectively. The extent of the heavy metals contamination was assessed, as analytical data were
subjected to pollution calculation methods. The contamination factors (CF) reveal extreme contamination of the
sites and an increasing trend in the heavy metals concentrations was observed in sites with more human
activities. The pollution load index (PLI) showed that the sites are severely polluted as the PLI of the metals from
each sample site exceeded the PLI of the background (control) sample (0.7). Spearman’s rank correlation
analysis showed clear correlations (pconcluded that the study sites pollution is mostly due to automobile emissions. This study provides awareness
for residents to avoid activities such as farming, trading etc very close to the highway due to exposures to these
toxic metals.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-7 |
| Journal | Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (JBES) |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Feb 2015 |