Assessment of Cd, Cu, Mn and Zn Levels in Soil, Water and Vegetable Grown in Irrigated Farm along River Kubani, Zaria, Nigeria

Contamination of plants and plant products with toxic chemical elements due to contaminated soil and water has been observed as a result of the release of these toxicants into the sea, rivers, lakes and even into irrigation channels. These toxicants accumulate and constitute an important threat to the life of plants, animals and man through food chain. Therefore investigation into heavy metals level in vegetable, soil and water used for irrigation is apparent. The analysis was carried out using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) while method validation was achieved using reference material, Lichen (IAEA-336). The research result revealed Cd, Cu, Mn and Zn to be present in the respective samples as follows: Vegetable1.53±0.67ppm Cd, 7.85±1.73ppm Cu, 17.07±6.61ppm Mn, 26.66±12.16ppm Zn; Soil 1.69±0.65ppm Cd, 4.83±1.53ppm Cu, 34.34±6.75ppm Mn, 29.85±11.68ppm Zn and Water 1.30±0.32ppm Cd, 1.55±0.47ppm Cu, 12.67±1.17ppm Mn, 1.98±0.89ppm Zn. The High transfer factor observed between 0.497-0.957 revealed the susceptibility of vegetables to metal contamination by anthropogenic activities, hence routine monitoring of our environment will do us good.