Concentration Of Lead In Fruits And Vegetables Obtained From Markets Around Umuahia Metropolis:- Otumchere Chidinma E

abstract xiii The study was carried out to determine the concentration of lead in fruits and vegetables. The studied fruits and vegetables were obtained from Shoprite, Ahiaeke, Isi-Gate and Ubakala markets which are prominent markets in Umuahia Metropolis so as to ascertain their safety for human consumption. The samples were prepared by oven-drying, grinding and wet digestion after which the concentration of lead in each sample was determined using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The result showed that the lead concentration in samples obtained from Ubakala market (0.02ppm, 0.02ppm, 0.03ppm, 0.02ppm) were statistically higher than the lead concentration in samples obtained from other markets. The concentration of lead detected in the samples was attributed to the use of lead-based agrochemical for farming and also emission of lead from vehicles exhaust although the lead concentration in all the samples were below the WHO maximum permissible levels thus indicating food safety.