Evaluation of Pollution Status of Sediment from Kampani-Zurak River, Plateau State, Nigeria

Abstract

Heavy metals are the most toxic form of contaminants that are commonly found in a mining area. The public health significance of these metals necessitates their constant monitoring to avoid acute toxicity which could lead to disease outbreak and metal poisoning. This paper assessed the pollution level of four heavy metals: Cr, Cu, Cd and Fe in sediment from Kampani-Zurak River. The sampling and analysis were carried in the months of April and October of 2012, 2013, and 2014; and standard procedures were employed in the analysis. The results obtained compared with the Consensus Based Sediment Quality Guideline (CBSQG) and average shale values revealed low levels of the metals in the sediment. The Pollution load index (PLI), contamination degree (CD) and contamination factor (CF) for Cr, Cu and Fe were < 1 in all the seasons under consideration. However, Cd showed moderate level of contamination. The results also indicate moderate to very high enrichment for Cr, Cu and Cd . The Igeo further revealed the unpolluted nature of the sediment. This findings suggests that the anthropogenic activity does not have much impact on the sediment quality. However, constant quality check is required to serve as a preventive measure to any form of heavy metal pollution and toxicity that might occur in the future.