%0 Journal Article
%T Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals Concentrations in Topsoil of Makurdi and Its Environs
%A Ada Florence Ogli
%A Adams Udoji Itodo
%A Raymond Ahulle Wuana
%A Rufus ShaˇŻAto
%J Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection
%P 49-64
%@ 2327-4344
%D 2023
%I Scientific Research Publishing
%R 10.4236/gep.2023.118004
%X This work examined the concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb</span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\"> </span></span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\">pollution
in soil and estimated the potential ecological risks of these metals</span></span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\"> </span></span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\">in
Makurdi and its environs, using established pollution indices. The information
derived</span></span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\"> </span></span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\">from pollution indices will help to assess the extent, and intensity of
anthropogenic contaminant deposition on surface soil in the study area. The
soil</span></span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\"> </span></span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\">samples were collected from sixteen (16) locations across the
investigated</span></span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\"> </span></span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\">sites, sampled as appropriate and treated using established methods and
analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). The findings have revealed
that the concentrations of the metals in the topsoil samples were arranged in
the sequence from increasing to decreasing order thus: Cr &gt; Pb &gt;</span></span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\"> </span></span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\">Cd &gt;
Hg &gt; As. It was observed that</span></span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\"> </span></span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\">the
pollution levels of As and Hg were insignificant, while, the level of pollution
caused by Cd, Cr and Pb ranged from</span></span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\"> </span></span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\">low
level of contamination to high level of contamination across the investigate</span></span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\">d </span></span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\">sites,
except, for the control site (BZ) whose pollution level was insignificant with
respect to the heavy metals studied. The results could be used as</span></span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\"> </span></span></span><span><span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\">preliminary
baseline data for heavy metal concentrations for future assessment
%K Pollution
%K Contamination
%K Single Indices
%K Integrated Indices
%K Makurdi
%U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=127127