Review of Heavy Metals in Water Systems of Selected Locations in Nigeria

Abstract

The use of contaminated water could be lethal to both human and aquatic lives. Toxic trace metal are continuously being released into the water bodies around Nigeria resulting from industrial and agricultural activities .Among the various toxic pollutants, heavy metals like lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg), Cadmium (Cd), Zinc (Zn), Cobalt (Co), Manganese (Mn), Arsenic (As) etc and several mixtures of heavy metals have severe action due to their tendency to accumulate in the fish tissue. This work reviews the heavy metals in Nigeria water system. Heavy metals are a problem of magnitude and ecological significance due to their high toxicity and ability to accumulate in living organisms. Many toxicologists have worked on the analysis and detection of heavy metals in the water bodies, soil, sediments, plankton, fish organs etc using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. The results showed a high level of heavy metals above permissible limit except for river system around the central part of Delta State which has a tolerable level compared with WHO standard.