DETERMINATION OF HEAVY METALS CONCENTRATION IN SOILS FROM FARMLANDS WITHIN ASHANGWA RICE MILL, LAFIA LGA, NASARAWA STATE-NIGERIA

Abstract

Heavy metals (HMs) are natural environmental composition, but their geochemical processes and biochemical equilibrium have been transformed by haphazard use for human purposes. The aim of this research was to determine the concentrations of HMs (Cr, Zn, Fe, Pb and Cd) from soil samples of selected farmlands within Ashangwa Rice Mill, Lafia LGA, Nasarawa State. The concentrations of HMs irrespective of a particular farmland ranged as follows: (Cr: 0.022 –0.555, Pb: 0.200 – 0.857, Fe: 0.311 – 0.890, Zn: 0.100 – 0.809 and Cd: 0.014 – 0.565 mg/kg).The concentration of heavy metals in the soils were compared with FAO/WHO and US EPA maximum allowable limit and the results showed that only Cd from soil sample of farmland 1 (30 m away from rice mill) was above the US EPA maximum allowable limit of 0.480 mg/kg but the rest of the studied metals were below FAO/WHO and US EPA standards. The concentrations of HMs at sites 30 m away were higher than those of 45 and 60 m away from the rice mill but site 45 m away was just relatively higher than that of 60 m.