Assessing the impact of heavy metal pollution in Nike River using a life cycle approach

Abstract

The threat of heavy metals contamination in the aquatic environment is more serious than those of other pollutants due to their non-bio-degradable nature and accumulative properties. This research project investigated some water quality parameters and heavy metals present in Nike Lake. In this study, three different water and sediment samples was collected from the upstream mid-stream and downstream of Nike Lake by submerging the sample bottle at about 0.5ft below the water surface and transferred into metal-free bottle that was used for all the analysis. The results of the physiochemical respectively forupstream, midstream and downstream were pH 5.49, 4.94, 5.41, conductivity was 72.3 µs/cm, 72.1 µs/cm, 72.0 µs/cm respectively, dissolve oxygen was 9.4mg/l, 9.6 mg/l, 10.4 mg/l, biochemical oxygen demand was 4.6 mg/l, 6.0 mg/l, 5.8 mg/l, nitrate was 0.28 mg/l, 0.31 mg/l, 0.32 mg/l and sulphate was 10.40 mg/l, 9.71 mg/l, 9.72. The water and sediment analysis showed that the heavy metals deviated slightly above their respective permissive levels when compared to WHO standard majorly at the upstream. The ecotoxicity potential of the heavy metal in the water sample at the upstream, mid-stream and downstream of Nike Lakewere 274.04 mg, 23.651 and 243.542 while that of the sediment sample were 0.03546 mg, 0.00015 mg and 0.0288 mg respectively. A higher impact of the ecotoxicity implies a higher source of the heavy metals at the points concerned, and higher negative health consequences directly to the aquatic organisms and indirectly to humans through consumption.