This research determined the concentration of Lead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd) in roasted corn (Zea mays), roasted plantain (Musa paradisiaca) and barbecue from roadside close to industrial and automobile emission in some selected parts of Lagos and Ota, South-West Nigeria. They were analysed after digestion by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). Lead had the highest concentration in all the food type analyzed and was higher than FAO permissible limit (0.3 mg/kg) in about 92% of the samples analyzed. It was also found to be higher in the samples from Lagos than those from Ota. While Cadmium had relatively lower concentration compared with Lead in all the food samples but about 25% of the samples analyzed had higher concentration than the FAO permissible limit (0.5 mg/kg). The results showed that the order of the concentration of Lead in the food samples was corn>barbecue>plantain, while the order of the Cadmium concentration in the food samples was in the order corn>plantain>barbecue. Continual consumption of roasted corn, roasted plantain and barbecue close to highway and industrial emission may therefore constitute a source of exposure to these heavy metals.
Contaminants and pollutants impact on the availability of clean water for the human population is huge as clean water is increasingly scarce for human consumption on earth most especially in major cities of the world; As water is used they are heavily contaminated and hence there is the need to examine the persistent pollutants most especially phthalates and heavy metals in wastewater and outlet stream. This research examined the level of dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and heavy metals viz; Pb, Cr, Cd, As and Hg in the sewer and outlet stream in a part of Lagos, Nigeria. DMP ranged from 0.0070 ± 0.036 to 0.0278 ± 0.324, DEP ranged from 0.0367 ± 0.204 to 0.0526 ± 0.496, and DBP ranged from 0.0406 ± 0.241 to 0.1472 ± 1.667 µg/mL, lead ranged from 0.117 ± 0.024 to 0.157 ± 0.048, chromium ranged from nd (not detected) to 0.319 ± 0.245, cadmium ranged from 0.004 ± 0.002 to 0.063 ± 0.021, arsenic ranged from 0.002 ± 0.001 to 0.021 ± 0.006, and mercury ranged from nd to 0.007 ± 0.001 µg/mL. The concentration of lead in this study was higher than the WHO recommended value of 0.1 mg/L in surface water. This research established that phthalates and heavy metals were released into the wastewater from the immediate environment. We suggest that the sewer treatment of the wastewater be reviewed and improved to eliminate the contaminants in the wastewater.
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