Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metal Concentrations in Sewage Compost Manure Used for Agriculture in Zaria, Nigeria

Authors

Keywords:

Heavy metals, Sewage compost, Instrumental neutron activation analysis, Environmental monitoring, Soil contamination, Nigeria

Abstract

The increasing use of sewage composts as fertilizer has raised concerns regarding the accumulation of heavy metals in agricultural soils. This study examined the health risks of the composts used by farmers in Zaria Metropolis, Nigeria. Ten compost samples and two reference soil samples were collected as representative samples and analyzed at the Center for Energy Research and Training, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, using Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA). A total of six (6) heavy metals, namely Fe, Mn, Zn, Cr, Co, and As were detected. The results showed that the mean concentrations of these heavy metals in the compost were significantly higher than those in the reference soils, with Fe (19677.2±305.7 mg/kg) having the highest concentration, followed by > Mn (328.1±4.32 mg/kg) > Zn (124.31±20.87 mg/kg) > Cr (27.777±2.554 mg/kg) > Co (9.231±0.366 mg/kg) and As (0.452±0.064) in that order. The elevated concentrations indicate potential environmental and health risks associated with prolonged applications of these sewage compost. The study highlights the need for continuous monitoring and regulation of compost use in agriculture to prevent soil contamination and food chain transfer of toxic elements.

Dimensions

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Published

2026-07-01

How to Cite

Okpokwu, E. I., Agu, M., & Akusu, C. (2026). Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metal Concentrations in Sewage Compost Manure Used for Agriculture in Zaria, Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Physics, 35(3), 307-314. https://doi.org/10.62292/njp.v35i3.2026.606

Issue

Vol. 35 No. 3 (2026): Nigerian Journal of Physics - Vol. 35 No. 3

Section

Articles
Copyright & Licensing

Copyright (c) 2026 Emmanuel Itodo Okpokwu, Matthew Agu, Christiana Akusu

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Okpokwu, E. I., Agu, M., & Akusu, C. (2026). Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metal Concentrations in Sewage Compost Manure Used for Agriculture in Zaria, Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Physics, 35(3), 307-314. https://doi.org/10.62292/njp.v35i3.2026.606