Studies of heavy metal in soil at Omoku, River State, Nigeria, using Pollution Indices and Potential Ecological Risk

Abstract

This study used Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) to measure the levels of heavy metals (HM) in soil affected by oil spills in a few locations in River State, Southern Nigeria, in order to investigate the ecological dangers and pollution status of HM. This study examined the heavy metals iron (Fe), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), barium (Ba), vanadium (V), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and chromium (Cr). The study analyzed the outcomes of a heavy metal risk assessment index, which encompassed the level of contamination, the Geo-accumulation index (Igeo), and the prospective ecological risk assessment (ERI). Findings from the showed that Nemerow Pollution (PNI), Potential Ecological Risk Index (PERI), Degree of Contamination (Cdeg) ranges from 12.64 to 28.26, 2.40 to 518.48, and 17.63 to32.44 respectively. Results obtained from the study are considered to be fairly above the international standard at some locations. Deduction from the study suggested that human activities such farming, oil spillage, solid waste disposal, and automobile workshop were identified to be the primary contributors of heavy metal pollution in the soil (Cdeg) and PNI. As seen by the uncontaminated soil samples and the negligible effect of local human activity on the ERI, the Igeo results run counter to the ERI results. The Cdeg observation indicated that the soil was not very polluted.