Abstract
The accumulation of heavy metals in soils especially in mining environments is of increasing concern to researchers in the Agricultural Industry. This is because the metals are biomagnified by plants. Accumulation of heavy and trace metals in plants occur by various sources but soil is considered the major one. Consumption of vegetables and fruits containing heavy metals is one of the main ways in which these elements enter the human body. Once in the body, heavy metals are deposited in bone and fat tissues, overlapping noble minerals and cause an array of diseases. The present study investigated the concentration of heavy metals that is, Cu, Zn, Cr, As and Pb in soil as well as mango (Mangifera indica L.) and cashew (Anacardium occidentale) fruit samples collected from the Mokaba rehabilitated site in the Sierra Rutile environs, to evaluate the possible health risks to human body through food chain transfer. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used to estimate the levels of these metals in the fruits and soil. Results showed that the concentrations of Pb and Cu in both soil and fruits are higher than the World health average values. However, Zn and Cr were found to be below the World health average values, whereas As was not detected. Translocation factors (TF) from soil to fruits were calculated from the data on levels of metals in both soil and fruits. The sampled plants showed high translocation factor values (TF > 1in almost all cases) implying that the plants could be labeled as accumulators of pollution. Pearson’s product moment correlation showed a very strong relationship between soil and fruits. It can be concluded that the crops/plants grown in the rehabilitated lands in the Sierra Rutile environs absorb significant levels of some heavy metals from the polluted soil. Key words: Rehabilitated, heavy metals, bioaccumulation, translocation, bioavailability, biomagnified.
Highlights
Heavy metals are significant environmental pollutants, and their toxicity is a problem of increasing concern for ecological, evolutionary, nutritional and environmental reasons
The aim of this study is to carry out a physicochemical analysis of soil and fruits from the Mokaba site to ascertain soil pollution and to provide guidance for pollution assessment and control in the rehabilitated lands in the Sierra Rutile environs
The pH has a great impact on bioavailability in the soil
Summary
Heavy metals are significant environmental pollutants, and their toxicity is a problem of increasing concern for ecological, evolutionary, nutritional and environmental reasons. After several years of operation, the Sierra Rutile mining Company has left behind lakes, mine spoil heaps and sand tailings in many areas of land that were once viable for agricultural activities. The mine spoil heaps and sand tailings are believed to contain various heavy metals in different forms. The Mokaba rehabilitated land is one of the mined out sites that was rehabilitated several years before the civil war in Sierra Leone. A variety of economic trees such as mango, guava, cashew, coconut and oil palm have been grown at the Mokaba site. Fruits from these plants are harvested and sold to communities in the Sierra Rutile environs
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