Authors : Oltunji and Kayode James
Abstract: The effect of mining of iron ore on soil on the iron ore deposit area of Itakpe was investigated. The study involved determination of some heavy metal content of soil in order to have baseline data for assessing the impact of iron ore mining in the future. Leaf of plants and Soil samples at 0-15 cm depth were randomly collected, predigested and analysed using Bulk 2000, A model of Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) for content of lead, iron, copper and Zinc. Results reveal that soil and plant species of the mine plots contain higher level of heavy metal, compared to the unmined (Control plots). Possible implications of this development on the inhabitants and the larger society consuming farm products from the area are discussed. Suggestions are made on how to mitigate the impact of iron ore mining on the soil and therefore plant species.
Oltunji and Kayode James , 2008. Heavy Metal Contamination of Plants and Soil in Itakpe Iron Ore Deposit Area of Kogi State, Nigeria. Environmental Research Journal, 2: 122-124.