ABSTRACT

 This project investigated the contribution of hospital effluents from the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Umuahia, into Olokoro stream, resultant concentrations of heavy metals that are present in surface waters that could show adverse impact to organisms and the resultant concentrations of heavy metals that are present in sediments. In this study, three sample sites were identified and samples were collected and analyzed for the presence of seven heavy metals, Lead (Pb), Copper (Cu), Cadmium (Cd), Nickel (Ni), Zinc (Zn), Chromium (Cr) and Mercury (Hg). Other parameters sampled were the physico-chemical parameters (pH, Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, Biological Oxygen Demand, and Chemical Oxygen Demand) and the microbiological assay. The scientific laboratory Division of the Aluminum and Smelting Company of Nigeria, Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom and National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike analysed all the samples. The experimental study was designed in a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replicates. These results revealed that most of the heavy metals found in water were significant with the exception of Cadmium sample. Their mean values and standard errors were Pb (1.22 ± 0.01), Cu (0.62 ± 0.01), Cd (0.01 ± 0.01), Ni (0.18 ± 0.01), Zn (0.27 + 0.01) Cr (0.05 ± 0.00), respectively. The results of the analysis of variance on sediments showed that Ni (1.05 + 0.03), Cr (0.12 ± 0.01) and Hg 90.01 ± 0.01) were significantly different (P<0.05) while Pb (9.71 ± 0.01), Cu (6.24 ± 0.01), Cd 90.3 l± 0.01) and Zn (0.16 + 0.02) were not significantly different (P>0.05. It was also observed that Lead had a higher value above recommended value by WHO both in water and sediments. Microbiological examination also showed very high values of samples in relation to what WHO recommended. Biological Oxygen Demand, Chemical Oxygen Demand and Dissolved Oxygen values were within tolerable levels, Dissolved Oxygen (3.92 + 0.0002), Biological Oxygen Demand (3.43 ± 0.0003), Chemical Oxygen (3.97 ± 0.0002). Therefore, the results showed that there was a great contamination of the studied canal.