Water contamination by heavy metals and radionuclides poses a major environmental and public health concern due to their toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation potential. This study aimed to assess the contamination levels of water sources near industrial, automobile, and residential areas in Gboko, Nigeria. Specifically, the concentrations of heavy metals such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn), as well as naturally occurring radionuclides including 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K, were analysed in borehole, well, and stream water samples. Results showed that residential areas generally had metal concentrations below WHO permissible limits, while automotive and industrial areas recorded higher levels, especially for Pb, Cd, Cr, and Fe. Lead levels in industrial streams reached 0.04 mg/L, exceeding WHO standards, with potential long-term health risks such as neurological damage and kidney dysfunction. Radionuclide activity was highest at the industrial sites, with Total Annual Effective Dose (TAED) values ranging from 0.00146 to 0.00221 mSv/year, which, although within WHO safety limits, approached the Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR) thresholds. The elevated contamination levels in industrial and automotive areas were attributed to emissions from vehicular activities, industrial discharges, and surface runoff carrying pollutants into water bodies. Overall, while zinc concentrations remained within safe limits across all sites, the presence of other heavy metals and increasing radionuclide activities in industrial areas indicate a growing pollution burden. The study concludes that periodic monitoring and implementation of pollution control measures are essential to mitigate the potential health hazards associated with contaminated water sources in Gboko, thereby ensuring the safety of residents who rely on these water supplies for domestic and drinking purposes.
Published in | Nuclear Science (Volume 10, Issue 1) |
DOI | 10.11648/j.ns.20251001.12 |
Page(s) | 15-24 |
Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Health Risk, Water Contamination, Environmental Pollution, Internal Hazard Index, Radiological Hazard, Phytotoxic Effects
Sample Location | Latitude | Longitude |
---|---|---|
Tyeku | 7 023’25.84 N | 904’52.07 E |
Yandev | 7020’38’N | 8059’59’E |
Mbayion | 70199.81 N | 90123.34 E |
Parameter | Instrument/Method Used |
---|---|
pH Level | pH Meter or pH Test Strips |
Temperature | Digital Thermometer |
Turbidity (Cloudiness) | Turbidity Meter (Nephelometer) |
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) | TDS Meter |
Total Suspended Solids (TSS) | Filtration & Gravimetric Method |
Dissolved Oxygen (DO) | DO Meter |
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) | Winkler’s Titration Method |
Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) | COD Reactor & Spectrophotometer |
Heavy Metals (Pb, Cd, Hg, Cr, Fe, Zn, Cu,) | Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) and HANNA® Multiparameter water tester model HI 98129 |
Oil & Grease Content | Soxhlet Extraction |
Chlorine (Cl⁻) Content | Titration Method (Mohr’s Method) |
Gross Beta Radiation | Beta Counter (Proportional Counter, Liquid Scintillation Counter) |
Radium-226 (226Ra) | Gamma Spectrometry (HPGe Detector) |
Uranium (238U, 235U, 232Th) | Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) |
Cesium-137 (137Cs), Strontium-90 (90Sr) | Gamma Spectroscopy & Liquid Scintillation Counting |
Parameter | WHO limit | Equation used |
---|---|---|
pH | 6.5-8.5 | pH = |
TDS (mg/L) | <500 | TDS= K × EC |
DO (mg/L) | >5 | DO = |
BOD (mg/L) | <10 | BOD5 = DOinitial - DOfinal |
COD (mg/L) | <40 | COD = |
Heavy Metals | Varies | C = |
Gross Alpha (Bq/L) | <0.1 | A = |
Gross Beta (Bq/L) | <0.1 | A = |
226Ra (Bq/L) | <0.05 | A |
226U (Bq/L) | <0.03 | At = Aoe-λt |
Sample Location | pH | Temp (°C) | Turbidity (NTU) | TDS (mg/L) | DO (mg/L) | BOD (mg/L) | COD (mg/L) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Residential | 7.2 | 27.5 | 2.1 | 250 | 6.8 | 2.5 | 8.0 |
Automobile | 6.3 | 29.0 | 8.7 | 500 | 5.5 | 10.2 | 45.0 |
Industrial | 5.9 | 30.4 | 15.2 | 850 | 3.2 | 35.0 | 210.0 |
Sample Location | Water source | Lead (Pb) (mg/L) | Cadmium (Cd) (mg/L) | Chromium (Cr) (mg/L) | Iron (Fe) (mg/L) | Zinc (Zn) (mg/L) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Residential | Borehole | 0.005 | 0.002 | 0.01 | 0.2 | 0.6 |
Well water | 0.007 | 0.0025 | 0.015 | 0.3 | 0.7 | |
Stream | 0.009 | 0.003 | 0.02 | 0.4 | 0.8 | |
Automotive | Borehole | 0.015 | 0.004 | 0.03 | 0.5 | 1.2 |
Well water | 0.02 | 0.005 | 0.04 | 0.6 | 1.5 | |
Stream | 0.03 | 0.007 | 0.06 | 0.8 | 1.8 | |
Industrial | Borehole | 0.025 | 0.006 | 0.05 | 0.9 | 2.0 |
Well water | 0.03 | 0.007 | 0.06 | 1.2 | 2.3 | |
Stream | 0.04 | 0.009 | 0.08 | 1.5 | 2.7 | |
WHO limits (mg/L) | 0.01 | 0.003 | 0.05 | 0.3 | 3.0 |
Sample Location | Water source | 226Ra (Bq/L) | 232Th (Bq/L) | 40K (Bq/L) | Total Activity (Bq/L) | TAED (mSv/year) | ELCR | WHO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Residential | Borehole | 0.02 | 0.008 | 0.05 | 0.078 | 0.00058 | 2.9 x 10-5 | 0.1 |
Well water | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.07 | 0.11 | 0.00079 | 3.95 x 10-5 | 0.1 | |
Stream | 0.04 | 0.012 | 0.09 | 0.142 | 0.00098 | 4.9 x 10-5 | 0.1 | |
Automotive | Borehole | 0.04 | 0.015 | 0.09 | 0.145 | 0.00102 | 5.1 x 10-5 | |
Well water | 0.05 | 0.02 | 0.10 | 0.17 | 0.00123 | 6.15 x 10-5 | ||
Stream | 0.06 | 0.025 | 0.12 | 0.205 | 0.00148 | 7.4 x 10-5 | ||
Industrial | Borehole | 0.06 | 0.022 | 0.12 | 0.202 | 0.00146 | 7.3 x 10-5 | |
Well water | 0.07 | 0.025 | 0.15 | 0.245 | 0.00186 | 9.3 x 10-5 | ||
Stream | 0.08 | 0.03 | 0.18 | 0.29 | 0.00221 | 9.3 x 10-5 |
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APA Style
Msughter, A. R., Terngu, B. T., Stephen, S. M., Ayila, N. S., Patricia, T. N. (2025). Assessment of Water Contamination by Heavy Metals and Radionuclides Near Industrial, Automobile, and Residential Areas in Gboko, Nigeria. Nuclear Science, 10(1), 15-24. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ns.20251001.12
ACS Style
Msughter, A. R.; Terngu, B. T.; Stephen, S. M.; Ayila, N. S.; Patricia, T. N. Assessment of Water Contamination by Heavy Metals and Radionuclides Near Industrial, Automobile, and Residential Areas in Gboko, Nigeria. Nucl. Sci. 2025, 10(1), 15-24. doi: 10.11648/j.ns.20251001.12
AMA Style
Msughter AR, Terngu BT, Stephen SM, Ayila NS, Patricia TN. Assessment of Water Contamination by Heavy Metals and Radionuclides Near Industrial, Automobile, and Residential Areas in Gboko, Nigeria. Nucl Sci. 2025;10(1):15-24. doi: 10.11648/j.ns.20251001.12
@article{10.11648/j.ns.20251001.12, author = {Agaku Raymond Msughter and Bem Timothy Terngu and Shiada Msugh Stephen and Nyijime Simon Ayila and Ternenge Ngukuran Patricia}, title = {Assessment of Water Contamination by Heavy Metals and Radionuclides Near Industrial, Automobile, and Residential Areas in Gboko, Nigeria }, journal = {Nuclear Science}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {15-24}, doi = {10.11648/j.ns.20251001.12}, url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ns.20251001.12}, eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ns.20251001.12}, abstract = {Water contamination by heavy metals and radionuclides poses a major environmental and public health concern due to their toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation potential. This study aimed to assess the contamination levels of water sources near industrial, automobile, and residential areas in Gboko, Nigeria. Specifically, the concentrations of heavy metals such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn), as well as naturally occurring radionuclides including 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K, were analysed in borehole, well, and stream water samples. Results showed that residential areas generally had metal concentrations below WHO permissible limits, while automotive and industrial areas recorded higher levels, especially for Pb, Cd, Cr, and Fe. Lead levels in industrial streams reached 0.04 mg/L, exceeding WHO standards, with potential long-term health risks such as neurological damage and kidney dysfunction. Radionuclide activity was highest at the industrial sites, with Total Annual Effective Dose (TAED) values ranging from 0.00146 to 0.00221 mSv/year, which, although within WHO safety limits, approached the Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR) thresholds. The elevated contamination levels in industrial and automotive areas were attributed to emissions from vehicular activities, industrial discharges, and surface runoff carrying pollutants into water bodies. Overall, while zinc concentrations remained within safe limits across all sites, the presence of other heavy metals and increasing radionuclide activities in industrial areas indicate a growing pollution burden. The study concludes that periodic monitoring and implementation of pollution control measures are essential to mitigate the potential health hazards associated with contaminated water sources in Gboko, thereby ensuring the safety of residents who rely on these water supplies for domestic and drinking purposes.}, year = {2025} }
TY - JOUR T1 - Assessment of Water Contamination by Heavy Metals and Radionuclides Near Industrial, Automobile, and Residential Areas in Gboko, Nigeria AU - Agaku Raymond Msughter AU - Bem Timothy Terngu AU - Shiada Msugh Stephen AU - Nyijime Simon Ayila AU - Ternenge Ngukuran Patricia Y1 - 2025/08/21 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ns.20251001.12 DO - 10.11648/j.ns.20251001.12 T2 - Nuclear Science JF - Nuclear Science JO - Nuclear Science SP - 15 EP - 24 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2640-4346 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ns.20251001.12 AB - Water contamination by heavy metals and radionuclides poses a major environmental and public health concern due to their toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation potential. This study aimed to assess the contamination levels of water sources near industrial, automobile, and residential areas in Gboko, Nigeria. Specifically, the concentrations of heavy metals such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn), as well as naturally occurring radionuclides including 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K, were analysed in borehole, well, and stream water samples. Results showed that residential areas generally had metal concentrations below WHO permissible limits, while automotive and industrial areas recorded higher levels, especially for Pb, Cd, Cr, and Fe. Lead levels in industrial streams reached 0.04 mg/L, exceeding WHO standards, with potential long-term health risks such as neurological damage and kidney dysfunction. Radionuclide activity was highest at the industrial sites, with Total Annual Effective Dose (TAED) values ranging from 0.00146 to 0.00221 mSv/year, which, although within WHO safety limits, approached the Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR) thresholds. The elevated contamination levels in industrial and automotive areas were attributed to emissions from vehicular activities, industrial discharges, and surface runoff carrying pollutants into water bodies. Overall, while zinc concentrations remained within safe limits across all sites, the presence of other heavy metals and increasing radionuclide activities in industrial areas indicate a growing pollution burden. The study concludes that periodic monitoring and implementation of pollution control measures are essential to mitigate the potential health hazards associated with contaminated water sources in Gboko, thereby ensuring the safety of residents who rely on these water supplies for domestic and drinking purposes. VL - 10 IS - 1 ER -