1,2Muhammad Hassan, 2Salamatu S. Jere and 1Aliyu Adamu
1Department of Physics, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri Nigeria
2Centre for Nuclear Energy Research and Training, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri Nigeria
*Corresponding author Email: aliyuphysics@unimaid.edu.ng, doi.org/10.55639/607.02010041
ABSTRACT
Heavy metal poisoning of groundwater especially that of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), has been made worse by flooding in Maiduguri, North-Eastern Nigeria, raising worries about the health dangers involved. Using atomic absorption spectroscopy, this study determined the levels of Cd, Cr, and Pb in groundwater from 29 flood-prone locations spread over five Local Government Areas: Konduga, Maiduguri, Mafa, Jere, and Magumeri. Cd and Pb were consistently above World Health Organization (WHO) guideline values, whereas Cr was below detection limits in every sample. Pb levels at London Ciki (Jere) above the 0.01 mg/L limit by reaching up to 0.071 mg/L, while Cd levels varied from 0.006 to 0.017 mg/L (WHO limit: 0.003 mg/L). Other hotspots were located at Ngomari, Gwange, and Mafa. Significant risks were identified by non-carcinogenic risk assessment utilizing hazard quotient (Qi): Pb (up to 20.29) and Cd (6.00 17.00), both of which were significantly over the USEPA threshold of 1.0 and suggested the possibility of renal, skeletal, neurological, and developmental injury. Critical hotspots, including WT14, WT25, WT22, and WT17, were identified using the cumulative hazard index (Q ), which varied from 6.00 to 36.43. The carcinogenic risk assessment for Cd (Cr undetectable; Pb removed due to model limits) produced lifetime risk values that were within the allowed range of the USEPA but nonetheless suggestive of worry, ranging from 0.8 × 10-5 to 2.2 × 10-5. WT14 had the highest risk of cancer. These results highlight the necessity of proactive public health initiatives, focused repair, and ongoing groundwater monitoring in Maiduguri’s flood-affected metropolitan districts.
Keywords:
Heavy metals,
Groundwater quality,
Flood-affected areas,
Environmental health,
Quality indices