ABSTRACT

Human exposure to heavy metals can be through the food chain (Avila et al 2016). This study assessed the concentration of Mn, Cu, Pb, Cd and Fe in selected food crops from around industrial sites at Osisiorna in Abia state. The relative abundance of heavy metals in samples from Osisioma was Fe>Mn>Zn>Cu>Pb>Cd while the observed trend for samples from Umudike was Fe>Mn> Pb >Zn>Cd>Cu. Mean concentration of Mn, Fe and Zn were above the permissible limits set by the European Economic Commission. Results suggest that residents in the researched areas may suffer from health challenges due to excessive intake of Pb, Cd, Fe and Mn with greater concern for Osisioma compared to Umudike. Target hazard quotients (THQ) for Mn obtained in this study was 1.21 and 1.58 for Osisioma and Umudike respectively. Calculated average THQ for Fe,Zn,Cu,Pb and Cd were <1. These values suggest that the populace in this study may be exposed to non-carcinogenic health risk due to Mn intake. The average carcinogenic risk (CR) due Cd was 2.35E-05 and l.l4E-05 while values obtained for Pb was 1.34 E-05 and 3.05 E-05 for Osisioma and Umudike respectively. Values suggest a lifetime probability of contracting cancer owing to Lead and Cadmium intake via food. Keywords: Heavy metals, Target hazard quotients (TI-IQ), carcinogenic risk (CR), Osisioma, Umudike.