International Journal of Ecology and Development Research

Vol. 5(1), pp. 053-061, June, 2019. © www.premierpublishers.org. ISSN: 2326-7204

Research Article

Variation of Heavy Metal Concentration in Soil and Plant with

Distance Away from the Edge of the Road and Depth at which
the Soil Samples were taken along Song – Yola Highway
Adamawa State Nigeria
Nachana’a Timothy
Department of Chemistry, Adamawa State University, Mubi, Adamawa State, Nigeria.
E – Mail: allen.dusa@gmail.com; Tel: 08130976890

Concentration of eight heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Zn, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni and Cu) were studied in the soil
and plants along Song – Yola highway. Soil samples were collected at 5 m, 10 m and 15m away
from the edge of the road as well as 0 – 10 cm, 10 – 20 cm and 20 cm – 30 cm depth. Plant samples
were also collected around the vicinity where the soil samples were taken. Subsequently the
concentrations of the following heavy metals Cd, Pb, Zn, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni and Cu in the samples
were analyzed using Atomic Absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The concentration of heavy
metal in the soil and plant display the following decreasing trend Mn > Pb > Co > Zn > Ni > Cu >
Cr > Cd. The concentrations of the heavy metals decreased with increasing distance as well as
the depth. However, there was no significant difference in concentrations at P < 0.05 among
distances and depths. The concentration of the following metals Cd, Zn, Cr and Cu fall within
permissible limit of WHO for all the distances (5 m, 10 m and15 m) while Pb, Mn, Co and Ni were
above with the exception of Pb and Ni at the distance of 15m for soil. Also, the concentration of
the following metals: Cd, Zn, Cr, Ni and Cu were within permissible limit of WHO while Pb, Mn and
Co were above at all the distances (5m, 10 m and15 m) for plants.

Key words: Heavy metal, Concentration, Variation, Distance, Depth, Highway, Song, Yola

INTRODUCTION

Heavy metals are typical road traffic source contaminants
in the local ecological environments and thus threaten
public health (Saeedi et al., 2009; Xuedong et al., 2013).
Road sides soils have been shown to have considerable
contamination due to both depositions from vehicle derive
metal and relocation of metals deposit on road surface
(Okunola et al., 2007; Assirey and El-Shahawi, 2015).
These metals are found in fuels, fuel tanks, engines and
other vehicle components, catalytic converters, tires and
brake pads, as well as in road surface materials (Zehetner
et al., 2009). Heavy-metal contaminants can easily impact
people residing within the vicinity of the roads via
suspended dust or direct contact (Chen et al., 2010;
Bwatanglang et al., 2019). If there are farmlands within the
scope that the contaminants can reach, they may enter the
food chain as a result of their uptake by edible plants
(Bakirdere and Yaman, 2008) thus causing serious health
risks. Because of their toxicity (especially for Cd and Pb),
persistence and non-degradability characteristics, it is of
great importance to monitor the heavy metals
concentrations in roadside environments.
The accumulation of heavy metals in surface soils and
plants were influenced by multiple factors, such as traffic
volume, highway characteristics road and roadside terrain,
roadside distance, wind direction, rainfall, seeded strip
(Ratko et al., 2001; Zehetnea et al., 2009; Assirey et al.,
2015).
Generally, total heavy metal contents in roadside soils
were found to be strongly dependent on traffic density and
showed an exponential decrease with distance from the
road, reaching background levels of 10-100m. Most of the
metals’ influential roadside distances are less than 50 m,
but may be up to 100 m Pb may even have an impact on
roadside soil up to 320 m away from the road ( Pagotto et
al., 2001; Fakayode and Owolabi, 2003).

Variation of Heavy Metal Concentration in Soil and Plant with Distance Away from the Edge of the Road and Depth at which the Soil Samples were taken along
Song – Yola Highway Adamawa State Nigeria
Nachana’a T. 054
Many previous studies concluded that the heavy metal
content in roadside soil has a belt-shaped distribution in
terms of distance to road edge, decreasing exponentially
with increment of roadside distance (Akbar et al., 2006;
Zhang et al., 2012; Saeedi, 2009). Compared to the
background nature value of heavy metal content, the
influential space of traffic pollution can be up to 50 m far
from road but within 100 m. In addition, most of the
deposited metal particles remain in the 0–5 cm of the
roadside surface soil depth (Brady and Weil, 1999; Fan,
2012; Timothy, 2018).
However, other research results showed that the special
distribution patterns of heavy metals in roadside soils were
not always significantly correlated with the roadside
distance (Ndiokwere, 1984; Zhang et al., 2012). This may
be attributed to mixed sources of metals, agricultural
activities and roadside green belts (Zhang et al., 2012). For
the different types of heavy metals, their maximum
influential roadside distance may vary substantially. In a
developing country like Nigeria where the farmers farm
close to the edge of the road, it is necessary to determine
the influential distance away from the edge of the road by
heavy metal in order to advice the farmers on how far way
they should plant crops.
Figure 1: Map of the study area
Sample Collected
Twenty grams of three surface soil samples was randomly
collected at each sample location at variable distances of
5 m, 10 m, and 15 m away from the edge of the road
making fifteen (15). Another twenty gram of three
composite soil samples (at a distance 10 m away from the
edge of the road at varying depth of 0-10, 10-20 and 20-
30 cm each) were randomly collected from each sample
Variation of Heavy Metal Concentration in Soil and Plant with Distance Away from the Edge of the Road and Depth at which the Soil Samples were taken along
Song – Yola Highway Adamawa State Nigeria
The aim of this study is to determine the variation of heavy
metal concentration in soil and plant with distance away
from the edge of the road and depth at which the soil
samples were taken.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The Study Area
Adamawa state is located at the North Eastern part of
Nigeria. It lies between latitude 70 and 110 N of the equator
and between longitude 110 and 140 E of the Greenwich
meridian. It shares boundary with Taraba State in the
South and West, Gombe State in its North West and Borno
to the North, Adamawa State has an international
boundary with the Cameroun Republic along its Eastern
border. The State covers the land area of about 38741Km 2
(Adebayo and Tukur, 1999).
Five sample locations along Song - Yola highway was
selected for soil and fresh plant leaf samples. These
sample locations include: Song, Loko, Jabbilamba, Gerei
and Yola (Figure 1).
location making fifteen (15) with the aid of stainless steel
spoon, washed with soap and rinsed with distilled water
after each sampling (Alexander, 2015). The soil sampling
spots were cleared of debris before taking the sample
(Chimuka et al., 2005). The collected soil samples were
placed in labeled cellophane bags (Bamgbose et al.,
2000), and were taken to the laboratory for pre-treatment
and analysis.
 Int. J. Ecol. Devel. Res. 055

Also, a total of fifteen (15) fresh plant (Cynodon dactylon content of the soil samples were carried out in triplicates
commonly known as Bahama grass, belonging to the by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) 210 VGP
family of Poaceae) leave samples three each were Buck Scientific model following the procedure adopted by
randomly collected from the vicinity of the sampling points Barkbes et al., (2014).
where the soil samples were collected. These samples
were collected using a clean stainless-steel pair of Two grams of the powdered plant sample was weighed
scissors (Okonkwo and Maribe, 2004), place in paper into “high form” porcelain crucible, the crucible with the
bags, labeled and taken to the laboratory for pre-treatment sample was placed into furnace and the temperature was
and analysis. increased gradually until the temperature reached 5500C.
The sample was ash until a white or grey ash was
Sample Preparation observed in the crucible. The ash was dissolved by adding
1mL of conc. HNO3 to the crucible. The dissolved ash was
Soil samples from each site were homogenized and air transferred into 50mL volumetric flasks. It was diluted to
dried, crushed and ground then sieved through 0.2 mm volume with distilled water (AOAC, 2000). The quantitation
sieve (Alexander 2015). of metallic content of the plant samples were carried out in
triplicates by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS)
Plant samples were rinsed with distilled water to remove 210 VGP Buck Scientific model following the procedure
any attached soil particles, the plant samples were cut in adopted by Barkbes et al., (2014).
to smaller portions before placing in a large clean crucible
where they were oven dried at 1000C for 48h.The dried Data Analysis
plant samples were grinded into fine particles using clean
acid washed mortar and pestle (Awofolo 2005) The obtained data were subjected to analysis of variance
(ANOVA) by SPSS version 19 to determine the differences
Sample Digestion in the concentration of each metal among different sample
Two grams of soil sample was placed in 100 cm 3 tall form distances away from the edge of the road and the results
beaker. 10 cm3 of 1:3 HNO3 and HCl was added to it and were presented in the form of means ±SD of triplicate
boiled gently on a hot plate until the volume was reduced determination
to near dryness and then cool. 10 cm 3 of distilled water
was added to it and then boiled gently again until the
volume was approximately 2 cm 3. The suspension was RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
allowed to cool and filtered throw a Whatman No. 540 filter
paper, the beaker and filter paper were washed with small The results for the heavy metals concentration distribution
portions of distilled water until a volume of about 25 cm 3 in roadside soil with distance away from the edge of the
was obtain. The filtrate was transferred into a 50 cm 3 road and depth at which the soil samples were taken are
graduated flasks and made up to the mark with distilled presented in Tables 1 and 2 respectively. While that of
water (Alexander, 2015). The quantitation of metallic plant are shown in Table 3.
Table 1: Heavy metals Concentration distribution with distance for surface soil along Song-Yola highway (mg/Kg)
Sample Distance Cd Pb Zn Cr Mn Co Ni Cu
location (m)
Song 5 0.04±0.01 0.75±0.12 0.29±0.03 0.07±0.02 4.45±0.21 0.40±0.05 0.20±0.02 0.08±0.02
10 0.03±0.01 0.60±0.13 0.19±0.02 0.05±0.01 3.45±0.20 0.23±0.03 0.20±0.01 0.05±0.01
15 0.02±0.00 0.10±0.00 0.18±0.02 ND 3.25±0.15 0.12±0.01 0.13±0.01 0.03±0.01
Loko 5 0.03±0.01 0.50±0.08 0.29±0.03 0.07±0.03 1.97±0.04 0.80±0.03 0.18±0.02 0.09±0.03
10 0.03±0.01 0.35±0.05 0.26±0.03 0.03±0.01 1.96±0.06 0.52±0.03 0.17±0.01 0.05±0.01
15 0.02±0.00 0.20±0.03 0.25±0.03 0.01±0.00 0.78±0,02 0.40±0.02 0.13±0.01 0.08±0.03
Jabbilamba 5 0.04±0.02 0.70±0.03 0.32±0.05 0.06±0.02 2.15±0.06 0.60±0.04 0.20±0.03 0.08±0.02
10 0.03±0.00 0.60±0.02 0.27±0.04 0.030.01± 1.10±0.04 0.42±0.04 0.07±0.02 0.06±0.02
15 0.01±0.00 0.40±0.03 0.25±0.04 ND 1.02±0.02 0.30±0.03 0.05±0.02 0.05±0.02
Gerei 5 0.05±0.02 0.35±0.02 0.35±0.02 0.05±0.01 2.98±0.03 0.43±0.03 0.07±0.02 0.04±0.01
10 0.04±0.01 ND 0.24±0.03 0.01±0.00 2.82±0.04 0.20±0.04 0.04±0.01 0.03±0.01
15 0.02±0.01 ND 0.28±0.03 ND 2.18±0.03 0.11±0.02 0.02±0.00 0.03±0.01
Yola 5 0.06±0.02 0.45±0.03 0.15±0.02 0.04±0.01 2.28±0.04 0.70±0.04 0.17±0.03 0.06±0.01
10 0.03±0.01 0.35±0.03 0.14±0.02 0.01±0.00 2.07±0.04 0.52±0.03 0.07±0.02 0.06±0.02
15 0.01±0.00 0.25±0.4 0.12±0.03 ND 1.53±0.03 0.10±0.02 0.02±0.01 0.05±0.01
WHO 0- 0.15 0-0.15 0-15 0-0.4 0-0.5 0-0.08 0-0.03 0-0.8
All values represent mean ± SD (Standard Deviation). There was no significant difference (p<0.05) in concentration of the
heavy metal in soil among the different sample distances away from the edge of the road
ND: Not Detected

Variation of Heavy Metal Concentration in Soil and Plant with Distance Away from the Edge of the Road and Depth at which the Soil Samples were taken along
Song – Yola Highway Adamawa State Nigeria
Nachana’a T. 056

Table 2: Variation of heavy metal concentration with soil depth along Song-Yola major road (mg/Kg)
Sample Depth Cd Pb Zn Cr Mn Co Ni Cu
location (cm)
Song 0-10 0.03±0.01 0.55±0.03 0.29±0.02 0.07±0.02 4.45±0.21 0.50±0.02 0.20±0.02 0.08±0.02
10-20 0.02±0.01 0.50±0.03 0.29±0.03 0.07±0.01 3.45±0.21 0.40±0.01 0.20±0.02 0.05±0.01
20-30 0.01±0.00 ND 0.28±0.03 ND 3.25±0.16 0.30±0.01 0.13±0.01 0.03±0.01
Loko 0-10 0.02±0.01 0.50±0.03 0.29±0.02 0.08±0.02 2.29±0.08 0.90±0.03 0.13±0.02 0.05±0.01
10-20 0.02±0.00 0.25±0.02 0.26±0.02 0.07±0.01 1.28±0.04 0.80±0.02 0.07±0.01 0.05±0.02
20-30 0.01±0.00 0.20±0.03 0.25±0.03 0.03±0.01 0.78±0.04 0.40±0.03 0.03±0.01 0.09±0.01
Jabbilamba 0-10 0.02±0.00 0.50±0.02 0.28±0.02 0.07±0.01 1.15±0.02 0.50±0.02 0.20±0.04 0.08±0.02
10-20 0.02±0.01 0.30±0.02 0.26±0.02 0.05±0.01 1.10±0.02 0.40±0.02 0.07±0.01 0.05±0.01
20-30 0.01±0.00 0.10±0.03 0.21±0.02 0.02±0.00 1.02±0.03 0.10±0.01 0.03±0.01 0.02±0.01
Gerei 0-10 0.03±0.01 0.25±0.03 0.25±0.03 0.09±0.02 2.48±0.05 0.40±0.03 0.07±0.02 0.06±0.01
10-20 0.02±0.01 0.20±0.02 0.24±0.02 0.07±0.01 2.32±0.04 0.30±0.03 0.05±0.01 0.04±0.01
20-30 0.02±0.00 0.12±0.01 0.23±0.03 ND 3.18±0.03 0.20±0.02 0.01±0.00 0.02±0.00
Yola 0-10 0.03±0.01 0.25±0.02 0.14±0.02 0.04±0.01 2.07±0.02 0.30±0.04 0.09±0.02 0.06±0.02
10-20 0.02±0.01 0.20±0.02 0.14±0.03 ND 2.07±0.03 0.20±0.03 0.07±0.02 0.03±0.01
20-30 0.01±0.00 0.11±0.02 0.12±0.02 ND 1.53±0.02 0.10±0.02 0.02±0.01 0.01±0.00
All values represent mean ± SD (Standard Deviation). There was no significant difference (p<0.05) in concentration of
the heavy metal in soil among the different sample depths
ND: Not Detected
Table 3: Heavy metal concentration distribution in plant along Song- Yola major road (mg/Kg)
Sample Distance Cd Pb Zn Cr Mn Co Ni Cu
Location (m)
Song 5 0.04±0.02 0.85±0.05 0.27±0.03 0.03±0.01 4.07±0.10 0.40±0.03 0.18±0.04 0.07±0.02
10 0.03±0.01 0.75±0.04 0.15±0.03 0.01±0.00 3.27±0.09 0.20±0.03 0.17±0.03 0.04±0.01
15 0.02±0.00 0.32±0.03 0.14±0.02 ND 3.08±0.06 0.08±0.02 0.10±0.02 0.01±0.00
Loko 5 0.03±0.01 0.25±0.02 0.22±0.03 0.07±0.02 1.63±0.03 0.76±0.03 0.13±0.03 0.07±0.01
10 0.03±0.01 0.25±0.02 0.20±0.03 ND 1.57±0.02 0.40±0.02 0.11±0.03 0.04±0.01
15 0.01±0.00 ND 0.14±0.03 ND 0.43±0.3 0.10±0.02 0.10±0.02 0.03±0.01
Jabbilamba 5 0.03±0.01 0.25±0.03 0.23±0.04 ND 2.12±0.07 0.54±0.03 0.20±0.03 0.07±0.02
10 0.02±0.00 0.25±0.04 0.20±0.04 ND 2.00±0.03 0.23±0.03 0.06±0.01 0.05±0.01
15 0.02±0.01 0.15±0.03 0.13±0.03 ND 0.95±0.02 0.11±0.02 0.03±0.01 0.04±0.01
Gerei 5 0.03±0.01 0.50±0.03 0.23±0.04 0.03±0.01 2.77±0.04 0.50±0.03 0.03±0.01 0.03±0.01
10 0.02±0.00 ND 0.22±0.02 ND 2.02±0.03 0.37±0.03 0.02±0.01 0.02±0.00
15 0.01±0.00 0.50±0.03 0.20±0.02 ND 2.10±0.02 0.24±0.02 0.02±0.00 0.02±0.01
Yola 5 0.04±0.01 0.75±0.02 0.13±0.01 0.02±0.01 2.07±0.03 0.10±0.03 0.14±0.03 0.06±0.01
10 0.03±0.01 0.25±0.03 0.12±0.02 ND 2.00±0.03 ND 0.06±0.01 0.05±0.01
15 0.02±0.00 ND 0.11±0.03 ND 1.22±0.02 ND 0.02±0.01 0.04±0.01
WHO 0-0.12 0-0.12 0-13 0-0.2 0-0.3 0-0.05 0-0.2 0-0.7
All values represent mean ± SD (Standard Deviation). There was no significant difference (p<0.05) in concentration of the
heavy metal in plants among the different sample distances away from the edge of the road
ND: Not Detected
The concentration of Cadmium in the study area fall within that are frequently used and the rough surface of the road
WHO permissible limit irrespective of the distance at which which increase the wearing tire (Dusa et al., 2017).
the samples were taken for both soil and plants (Tables 1 Cadmium is a very toxic metal that should be monitored to
and 3). However, the concentration was higher in soil than prevent Cd related diseases.
in plant which could imply that the metal was absorbed by
the plants from the soil through their roots (Figure 2). This The value of Pb in all the sample areas were found to be
finding is in line with the report of Bi et al., (2010) in Hainan above WHO permissible limit regardless of the distance at
Island China. which the samples were taken for both soil and plants with
the exception of Song at 15m which were lower than WHO
The likely source of Cd might be from tire rubber, in limit (Tables 1 and 3). Also the concentration was higher
lubricating oil as part of many additives as well as metal in soil than in plant except Song at 15m where the
plating. In the absence of major industries in the sampling concentration in plant was higher (Figure 3). This may
site, the presence of Cd could be due to burning of old tires mean that plant absorbed the heavy metal through other

Variation of Heavy Metal Concentration in Soil and Plant with Distance Away from the Edge of the Road and Depth at which the Soil Samples were taken along
Song – Yola Highway Adamawa State Nigeria

ways than their root, probably through their stems and
leaves since the metal can be deposited on the stems and
leaves directly from vehicle emission.
The observed high level of Pb in all the study areas could
be attributed to the heavy traffic volume, excessive
application of fertilizer as well as discharge from batteries.
The most probable source of such contamination is the
lead particulate matter emitted from gasoline vehicles
which settles not far from the road (Harrison and Laxen,
1981). Although Pb occurs naturally in the environment,
anthropogenic activities such as fossil fuel burning, mining
and manufacturing contribute to the release of high
concentrations (Dusa et al., 2017).
In this study the concentration of Zn was lower than WHO’s
permissible limit for both soil and plants (Tables 1 and 3)
which collaborate the report of Alexander et al., (2018).
Also, the concentration of heavy metal in soil was higher
than in plants (Figure 4). In the absences of the existence
of major industries in the study area such as smelting
operations, we may assume that the primary source of Zn
are attrition of motor vehicle tire rubber exacerbated by
poor road surfaces and lubricating oils in which Zn is found
as part of many additives such as dithiophosphates
(Shinggu et al., 2007; Paul et al., 2012).
The value of Cr in all the sample areas were found to be
within WHO permissible limit regardless of the distance at
which the samples were taken for both soil and plants
(Tables 1 and 3). However, mean concentration of Cr for
the study area was lower than other soil samples reported
in Plateau Nigeria 16.73 mg/Kg (Tsafe et al., 2012). The
concentration of heavy metal in soil was higher than that
of plants (Figure 5). This could mean that plants absorbed
the metal through their roots from the soil. The source of
Cr in roadside soil is believed to be due to corrosion of
vehicular parts (Alexander et al., 2018). Cr is toxic even at
low concentration; Cr is a highly toxic metal that has been
linked to cancer in humans following prolonged inhalation
(Timothy, 2018).
The concentration of Mn was higher than WHO’s
permissible limit in all the study areas for both soil and
plants (Tables 1 and 3). The result confirmed the report of
Tsafe et al., (2012). The observed high value could be due
to anthropogenic activity such as dry cell battery
workshops. The concentration of heavy metal in soil was
higher than that of plants (Figure 6).
The investigation in this study showed that the
concentration of Co was higher than standard limit of WHO
for both soil and plants (Tables 1 and 3).
Similar result was reported by Tsafe et al. (2012). Also the
result further revealed that the concentration of heavy
Variation of Heavy Metal Concentration in Soil and Plant with Distance Away from the Edge of the Road and Depth at which the Soil Samples were taken along
Song – Yola Highway Adamawa State Nigeria
Int. J. Ecol. Devel. Res. 057
metal in soil was higher than that of plants (Figure 7).
Though Co is a toxic metal it has importance as trace
element. Small traces of cobalt are found in the human
body due to the consumption of vegetables and meat
dishes. Cobalt is an important component in vitamin B12,
which is required for the normal functioning of the brain
and nervous system (Chibuike and Obiora, 2014).
It is also used extensively in the chemical and electronic
industry for the construction of batteries, adhesives and
soaps (Tsafe et al., 2012). In the absence of any chemical
and electronic industry in the study area, the likely source
of Co could be due to the presence of vegetables around
the sampling area.
The value of Ni in soil in this study was found to be higher
than standard limit of WHO for all sample areas except for
Gerie and Yola at 15m which were within the permissible
limit of WHO (Table1). The result agreed with the report of
Zhang et al., (2017) at China. The high value observed in
soil might be due to corrosion of vehicular parts or the
presence of Ni in fuel as antiknock agents (Suzuki and
Ono, 2008). However, the concentration in plants were
within WHO’s limit (Table 3). The study further revealed
that the concentration in soil was higher than that of plant
(Figure 8).
Although the concentration of Cu in soil was higher than in
plant (Figure 9 ) the value of Cu was within WHO standard
limit for both soil and plant for all the sample areas with
the exception of Loko at 5 m for soil (Tables 1 and 3).
Similar thing was observed by Wu et al., (2010).
Cu in roadside soil may be derived from engine wear,
thrust bearings, bushing and bearing metals. It can also be
attributed to soldering work, smelting and battery
(Alexander 2015).
The concentration of the following metals Cd, Zn, Cr and
Cu fall within permissible limit of WHO for all the distances
(5 m,10 m and15 m) while Pb, Mn, Co and Ni were above
with the exception of Pb and Ni at the distance of 15 m for
soil. Also, the concentration of the following metals: Cd,
Zn, Cr, Ni and Cu were within permissible limit of WHO
while Pb, Mn and Co were above at all the distances (5m,
10 m and15 m) for plants (Table 2).
Generally, the concentrations of all heavy metal
considered in the study decreased with increasing
distance away from the edge of the road as well as the
depth at which the soil samples were taken (Figure 10).
The result of the analysis of variance showed no significant
difference in concentration of the heavy metals among the
sample distances at p < 0.05 level for both soil and plant
samples (Tables 1 and 3) as well as the depths at which
soil samples were taken (Table 2).
Nachana’a T. 058

Figure 2: Variation in concentration of cadmium in soil and Figure 5: Variation in concentration of chromium in soil
plants with distance away from the edge of the road and plants with distance away from the edge of the road

Figure 3: Variation in concentration of lead in soil and Figure 6: Variation in concentration of manganese in soil
plants with distance away from the edge of the road and plants with distance away from the edge of the road

Figure 4: Variation in concentration of zinc in soil and Figure 7: Variation in concentration of cobalt in soil and
plants with distance away from the edge of the road plants with distance away from the edge of the road

Variation of Heavy Metal Concentration in Soil and Plant with Distance Away from the Edge of the Road and Depth at which the Soil Samples were taken along
Song – Yola Highway Adamawa State Nigeria

Figure 8: Variation in concentration of Nickel in soil and
plants with distance away from the edge of the road
Figure 9: Variation in concentration of copper in soil and
plants with distance away from the edge of the road
Figure 10: Variation in concentration of heavy metals with
sample depth
CONCLUSION
The result of the study revealed that the concentration of
heavy metals decreased as the distance away from the
edge of the road increased as well as the depth. The
concentration of the metals in the soil and plant leaf
samples are in the order Mn > Pb > Co > Zn > Ni > Cu >
Cr > Cd. The heavy metal concentrations were higher in
the soil than in the plant. The concentration of the following
Variation of Heavy Metal Concentration in Soil and Plant with Distance Away from the Edge of the Road and Depth at which the Soil Samples were taken along
Song – Yola Highway Adamawa State Nigeria
Int. J. Ecol. Devel. Res. 059
metals Cd, Zn, Cr and Cu fall within permissible limit of
WHO for all the distances (5 m,10 m and15 m) while Pb,
Mn, Co and Ni were above with the exception of Pb and Ni
at the distance of 15 m for soil. Also, the concentration of
the following metals: Cd, Zn, Cr, Ni and Cu were within
permissible limit of WHO while Pb, Mn and Co were above
for the distances (5m, 10 m and15 m) for plants. Since
these metals are toxic crops should not be cultivated near
the roadside environment to avoid contamination and toxic
metals into human and animal body through food chain.
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Accepted 23 May 2019

Citation: Nachana’a T (2019). Variation of Heavy Metal

Concentration in Soil and Plant with Distance Away from
the Edge of the Road and Depth at which the Soil Samples
were taken along Song – Yola Highway Adamawa State
Nigeria. International Journal of Geology and Mining 5(1):
053-061.

Copyright: © 2019: Nachana’a T. This is an open-access

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Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted
use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original author and source are cited.

Variation of Heavy Metal Concentration in Soil and Plant with Distance Away from the Edge of the Road and Depth at which the Soil Samples were taken along
Song – Yola Highway Adamawa State Nigeria