Comparativ e assessment of heavy metals in drinking water sources from Enyigba Community in Abakaliki Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed the levels of heavy metals in drinking water sources in Enyigba community in Abakaliki Local Government Area, Nigeria. Four sites were visited for sampling: two surface water (streams) and two underground water (boreholes). Three water samples were collected from each source making it a total of twelve water samples. The levels of Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn) and Lead (Pb) were determined using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The result showed significantly (P˂0 .05) high level of As, Cd and Pb which also exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended maximum limits specification for drinking water. The metal index revealed significant (P˂0.05) elevated level of As, Cd and Pb. There was no significant (P˃0.05) difference between the stream water and borehole waters in terms of their elemental load. The findings suggest that drinking water from these sources are heavily contaminated by As, Cd and Pb and there is possible risk of contamination of the diverse ecosystem located in the neighbourhood. Therefore, the mining communities and the miners should be properly enlightened on the dangers associated with exposure to heavy metals to prevent them from polluting water bodies.

Assessment of Selected Heavy Metals Concentration Level of Drinking Water in Gazer Town and Selected Kebele, South Ari District, Southern Ethiopia

“…Lead occurs mostly in association with zinc and gets into water from corrosion of zinc coated (“galvanized”) pipes [ 21 ] and leaching from water distribution pipes [ 22 , 23 ]. The concentration of Pb obtained from Aynalem kebele and Gazer town site water sample site were around (720 ± 12 μ g/L) and 13 ± 1.4 μ g/L respectively shown in Table 4 .…”

“…Mostly, high concentration of cadmium metal related with industrial and mining activities in the sampling areas [ 22 , 23 ] and chromium metal related with Soil leaching. Especially, the high concentration of cadmium in drinking water is mostly related with corrosion of metal pipes, water tanks, and plumbing systems [ 24 , 25 ]; this causes a disease of like short periods of time: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle cramps, salivation, sensory disturbances, liver injury, convulsions, shock, and renal failure as reported [ 26 ].…”

Effect of Different Water Media on Growth and Production Performance Parameters of African Catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell 1822) Fry

“…Water quality has been implicated as one of the major causes of fry mortalities during early stages of fry development [10]. Reports by [11,12] further affirms that surface and ground water sources in Abakaliki and its environs are compromised due to its hardness. This has been attributed to the occurrence of mineral deposits (Ca, Mg) and heavy metal ores (Zn, Fe, Pb) under the ground [13].…”