Cadmium, copper and nickel levels in vegetables from industrial and residential areas of Lagos City, Nigeria

Abstract

The levels of cadmium, copper and nickel in five different edible vegetables viz Talinum triangulare, Celosia trigyna, Corchorus olitorus, Venomia amygydalina and Telfaria accidentalis, and the soils on which they were grown from three industrial and three residential areas of Lagos City, in Nigeria, were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry . The results obtained for these heavy metals from the industrial areas were higher than those of the residential areas as a result of pollution. Industrial area results for vegetables ranged between 1.13 1.67_g/g for cadmium; 56.84 25.08_g/g for copper and 2.06 - 1.33_g/g for nickel. There was statistically significant differences (P<0.05) between the levels of copper and nickel in all the vegetables studied from industrial and residential areas, while there was no statistically significant difference for cadmium.

The results also show that Corchorus olitorus (Bush Okra) has ability to accumulate more copper and nickel than the other vegetable studied but has least ability for cadmium.


Keyword: Heavy metals, Vegetables, Industrial area, Pollution.

[Global Jnl Environ Sci Vol.1(1) 2002: 1-6]