Assessment of heavy metals concentration in drinking water samples from selected areas of Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

Water is the vital resources for all kinds of lives. As a result of this a lot of studies had been carried out to ascertain the quality of drinking water, mainly by determination of heavy metals present due to their impact on human health. This study was carried out to evaluate the concentration of heavy metals in some selected drinking water samples from Kauru local government area Kaduna state. An AA500GC London Instrument atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) was used to determined the heavy metal concentrations. Prior to analysis, the water samples were pre-concentrated and the residue dissolved in 0.5M nitric acid. This study aimed at assessing the concentration of some trace metal/element in well water, river water and borehole water consumed in Kauru local government area. Five different water samples were analysed for iron, cobalt, chromium, cadmium, nickel, lead, copper, magnesium, zinc, manganese content and their concentration levels compare with WHO specific maximum level. Iron was found to be between 230.3 and 15.90μgl^–1, Co between 4.80 and NDμgl^–1 Cr between 36.00μgl^–1 and ND, Cd ND, Ni between 0.72μgl^–1 and ND, Pb between 6.220μgl^–1 and ND, Cu between 1.72μgl^–1 and ND, Mg between 331.3 and 186.4μgl^–1, Zn between 199.0, and NDμgl^–1, Mn between 66.20 and 33.10μgl^–1. The concentration of all the metals were considerably found to be below the limit permitted by WHO’s drinking water guidelines (WHO 2005). Findings suggest that continues water quality monitoring should be carried out to check the concentration levels of heavy metals in that area, to prevent them from been above the limit of WHO.

Keywords: Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometers, Heavy Metals, Water, Kauru Local Government Area