Assessment of the Seasonal Variations in Heavy Metals Concentration in the Ughelli Central Market River, Delta State, Nigeria
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The goal of this research is to examine the levels of heavy metals in Ughelli Central Market, Delta State, Nigeria. An experimental design method was used for this study. In December 2024 and June 2025, fifteen composite water samples were collected. The samples were gathered using a corer and clean plastic bottles. Each water sample (10 cm3 ) was treated with 2 cm3 of concentrated HNO3. The concentrations of heavy metals were measured using the AAS Unicam 939 model. The data were analyzed based on the first-order kinetic model InC = InCo - kt. The heavy metal concentrations (mg/L) during the dry season were: Mn (2.80±0.93), V (1.53±1.42), Ni (1.50±1.53), Fe (0.86±0.25), Cd (0.27±0.21), Zn (0.09±0.13), Co (0.19±0.25), and Pb(0.02±0.01). During the wet season, the water concentrations were: Mn (3.13±0.79), V (1.88±1.45), Ni (1.45±1.04), Fe (1.05±0.25), Cd (0.10±0.13), Pb(0.02±0.02), Co(0.06±0.05) and Zn (0.07±0.10). The average concentration of the heavy metals were: V (1.55), Ni (1.50), Cd (0.27), Pb (0.02), Mn (2.80), Co (0.19), Zn (0.09), Fe (0.86) for the dry season, and V (1.88), Ni 1.45), Cd (0.10), Pb (0.02), Mn (3.13), Co (0.06), Zn (0.07), Fe (1.06) for the wet season. The concentrations of heavy metals varied between the wet and dry seasons. The levels of Ni, V, Cd, Pb, and Mn in the water exceeded WHO recommended standards. Mn concentrations were the highest across all seasons. Additionally, the study indicated that the river water may not be safe for direct drinking due to high heavy metal concentrations, but it could be used for other domestic purposes after treatment.
Author: Ese Queen Umudi
Institution: University of Delta Agbor
Language: English
Topic: Heavy metals in environment
Subfield: Pollution
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7214922741