This study investigated the assessment of toxic heavy metals in cassava cultivated in Damagum Local Government Area (L.G.A) of Yobe State. The focus was on determining the concentrations of five key heavy metals—chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), and cadmium (Cd)—in cassava plants grown in the area. The variety of cassava used for this study was the TMS 300555. Samples of cassava roots and leaves were collected from farms located along three major roads with high traffic density and a rural road, which served as a control. Standard laboratory techniques, including Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry, were employed to analyze the metal concentrations in the plant samples. The results revealed elevated concentrations of several metals in the cassava root, with chromium (Cr) recorded at 6.29±0.0346 mg/kg, mercury (Hg) at 8.49±2.243 mg/kg, lead (Pb) at 0.5267±0.3156 mg/kg, and cadmium (Cd) at 0.1167±0.0833 mg/kg. The metal concentration in cassava leaves followed the order: Hg > Cr > Pb > As > Cd. Soil-to-plant transfer factor values indicated moderate accumulation of metals in cassava plants across all sites. Furthermore, significant correlations were found between metal concentrations in the soil and cassava roots, with no notable differences in bioaccumulation across different parts of the cassava plant. Overall, the study highlighted evidence of contamination, suggesting heavy metal pollution in the soil and its potential uptake by cassava.
Chimuanya et al. (Tue,) studied this question.