Influence of Toxic Heavy Metals and Their Potential Sources in the Soil from Major Abattoirs in Zamfara State

Abstract

Abattoirs play a vital role in meat production but can significantly impact environmental health due to improper waste management. This study investigated the levels of selected toxic heavy metals Pb, Cu, Cd, Zn, and Cr in soils from abattoir sites in Gusau, Kaura-Namoda and Talata Mafara LGAs of Zamfara State, Nigeria. The aim was to assess the impact of abattoir activities on soil quality and to determine the potential risks posed by heavy metal contamination. Soil samples were collected from four abattoir locations and a control site with no history of abattoir activity. Standard laboratory procedures were used to analyze the physicochemical properties of the soils, as well as the concentrations of the heavy metals. The results indicated that soils from the abattoir sites had slightly elevated pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, and water holding capacity compared to the control, though all were within permissible limits. Heavy metal analysis showed that Pb,(12.54±0.0215 to 13.61±0.0421) Cu (6.84±0.0251 to7.68±0.0313), and Cd (0.39±0.0439 to 0.41±0.0551), Zn (16.54±0.0417 to 18.62±0.0343) while Cr (6.21±0.0263 to 6.60±0,016) concentrations were higher in abattoir soils than in the control, with Cu and Pb showing high metal pollution index (MPI > 3), while Cd, Zn, and Cr exhibited moderate pollution (1 ≤ MPI < 3). Pollution assessment using Contamination Factor (CF), Degree of Contamination (Cdeg), and Pollution Load Index (PLI) revealed that contamination levels were generally low, though cadmium presented moderate contamination potential in some samples.