COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HEAVY METALS IN SOILS OF ABBATOIRS

ABSTRACT

Heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cr and Zn) concentrations were determined in three abattoirs in Edo state using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Physicochemical parameters of soils were also analysed. Results showed that the concentrations of Pb decrease with increasing depth in abattoir 1 [0.15±0.07mg/kg (0-30cm); 0.01±0.0mg/kg (30-60cm], abattoir 2[1.52±0.69mg/kg (0- 30cm); 0.26±0.23mg/kg (30-60cm] and abattoir 3 [2.22±2.54mg/kg (0-30cm); 0.35±0.38mg/kg (30-60cm]. The highest mean concentration of Zn at both depth was in abattoir 1 (6.355mg/kg) while the lowest was in control site (0.165mg/kg). Cadmium mean concentration at different depths in abattoir 2 was 0.26±0.33mg/kg (0-30cm) and 0.03±0.04mg/kg (30-60cm). Abattoir 3 had the highest mean value of pH (8.28), while the lowest mean value was seen in control site (6.25). Contamination factors of the heavy metal in abattoir 1 were, 0.01047 (Pb), 0.00363 (Cd), 0.00045(Cr) and 0.1271(Zn) while contamination degree for the various sites were, 0.075025(control site), 0.12586 (Abattoir 1), 0.14165 (Abattoir 2) and 0.10542(Abattoir 3) and showed that the sites had low contamination. Although no contamination level that could poses a serious problem to the environment was observed, there is however need to ensure all abattoir waste are properly treated before disposal and abattoir facilities monitored regularly to quickly detect any possible contamination and curb it.