Heavy Metals and Health Risk Burden, How Safe is the Consumer Population?: A Study on the Heavy Metal Content of Soybeans Cultivated in Katsina State, North West Nigeria
A. I. Yaradua
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, P.M.B. 2218, Katsina, Nigeria.
J. I. Bungudu
Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Federal University Birnin Kebbi, P.M.B. 1157, Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria.
L. Shuaibu
Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Federal University Birnin Kebbi, P.M.B. 1157, Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria.
A. J. Alhassan
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Bayero University Kano, P.M.B. 3011, Kano, Nigeria.
A. Nasir
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, P.M.B. 2218, Katsina, Nigeria.
U. Bello
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, P.M.B. 2218, Katsina, Nigeria.
A. Usman
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, P.M.B. 2218, Katsina, Nigeria.
Z. A. Suleiman
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, P.M.B. 2218, Katsina, Nigeria.
A. Abdullahi
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, P.M.B. 2218, Katsina, Nigeria.
M. M. Muhammad
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, P.M.B. 2218, Katsina, Nigeria.
A. I. Yaradua
Department of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Katsina State, Nigeria.
I. A. Yaradua
Department of Geography, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, P.M.B. 2218, Katsina, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The level of heavy metals in soybeans samples were evaluated to ascertain their likely health risks to the Katsina State populace. Atomic absorption spectrometry method was employed for the evaluation, while the three senatorial zones of the state were used for sampling. Using methods adapted from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), the health risks to the population from the heavy metals in the samples were determined. The results have revealed the mean concentration (mg/kg) in decreasing order of concentrations to be for Zn (range: 1.204-1.432), Pb (range: 0.658-0.998), Fe (range: 0.563-0.687), Cr (range: 0.128-0.151) and Cd (range: 0.041-0.046), with the concentrations of Mn and Ni below the level of detection. The computed non-carcinogenic health risks from consumption of the samples were below 1 (THQ and HI>1). The cancer risk to the population lies beyond the threshold limit with the heavy metal Pb being the major contributor to the violation. It may be presumed that the Soybean samples in the study may add to the cancer manifestations in the population.
Keywords: Soybeans, heavy metals, health risks, katsina, carcinogenic, pollution, cancer risk