article · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
An evaluation of heavy metal contamination in the River Niger at Idah Metropolis examined concentrations of cadmium, chromium, and lead in water and the organs of ten harvested fish species using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Water analysis revealed average concentrations of 0.3727 mg/L for chromium, 0.1092 mg/L for cadmium, and 2.0928 mg/L for lead. Chromium appeared in all ten fish species at levels exceeding the World Health Organisation limit of 0.15 mg/kg. Lead was found in five species, with all detected concentrations surpassing the recommended guideline of 2.0 mg/kg. Cadmium was found in four species, reaching its highest level in Tilapia zilli. Across water and fish, bioaccumulation followed the order of chromium, lead, and cadmium. The resulting bioaccumulation factors surpassed tolerable thresholds, rendering the fish unfit for human consumption and prompting recommendations for rigorous monitoring and mitigation.
Toxic heavy metals in rivers present serious risks to aquatic ecosystems and human populations. When contamination causes fish to bioaccumulate metals like lead and chromium past international safety thresholds, eating locally caught fish becomes hazardous. These findings highlight an immediate threat to communities relying on the River Niger for nutrition and drinking water, underscoring the necessity of environmental oversight.
The abstract does not indicate an application pathway or commercial product, as it focuses strictly on an environmental pollution assessment. However, the data can inform environmental regulators and water management authorities seeking to deploy pollution monitoring programmes and remediation strategies. The work represents observational baseline research, positioned far from commercial deployment, with potential utility restricted to public health guidance and regulatory mitigation planning.
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Pollution of the aquatic environment with toxic heavy metals has become a worldwide problem in recent years, because of their negative effects on human health. Three toxic heavy metals (Cd, Cr and Pb) were investigated in the river and organs (intestine, gills and flesh) of ten (10) different fish species (Heterotis niloticus, Heterobranchus longifilis, Protopterus annectens, Clarias lazera, Tilapia zilli, Clarias anguillaris, Clarias gariepinus, Mormyrus rume, Synodontis clarias and Auchenoglanis biscutatus) harvested from River Niger in Idah Metropolis were analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) techniques. The mean obtained showed the following concentration of heavy metals (mg/L) in the river: Cr = 0.3727, Cd = 0.1092, Pb = 2.0928. Cadmium was detected in four (4) out of the ten (10) fishes sampled with mean concentration values being H. longifilis = 2.3 ± 1.63 mg/kg, T. zilli= 10.7 ± 8.11 mg/kg, C. gariepinus = 3.4 ± 4.19 and A. biscutatus = 1.6 ± 1.19 mg/kg with T. zilli having the highest concentration value of Cd. Chromium was detected in all the fish species sampled with mean concentration values all higher than the WHO permissible limit of 0.15 mg/kg. Lead was detected in five (5) out of the ten (10) fishes sampled, in the following concentration level; C. lazera > P. annectens > C. gariepinus > A. biscutatus > H. niloticus. The levels were all higher than the WHO recommended limit for fish and fish products of 2.0mg/kg. The result shows that the bioaccumulation factor of heavy metals in both the water and fishes was in the order Cr > Pb > Cd. Results revealed that, the bioaccumulation factor of the heavy metals in the fishes are beyond the tolerable levels, which indicated that the fishes are unfit for human consumption. Consequently, close monitoring and urgent mitigation strategies of these metals’ pollution of river Niger in Idah Metropolis, Kogi State is recommended with a view to minimizing the risk of health of the population that depend on the river for their water and fish supply.
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DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18076233
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