Fluoride Content of Soil and Vegetables from Irrigation Farms on the Bank of River Galma, Zaria, Nigeria
Fluoride Content of Soil and Vegetables from Irrigation Farms on the Bank of River Galma, Zaria, Nigeria
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Date
2013
Authors
Okibe, F.G
Ekanem, E.J
Paul, E.D
Shallangwa, G.A
Ekwumemgbo, P.A
M. S. Sallau,
Abanka, O.C.
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Abstract
Fluoride content of the soils and some vegetables from three farms near the bank of river
Galma, Zaria, Nigeria were estimated by Alizarin red spectrometric method. The mean soil leachable
fluoride for all the soils was in the 0.075 - 0.200 mg Kg-1 range. At 95 % confidence limit (p=0.05),
the mean concentration of soil leachable fluoride for soils from the farms A, B, and C investigated
were 0.139 sfc 0.030, 0.115 ± 0.041, and 0.080 ± 0.005 mg Kg'1 respectively. The mean fluoride
content in vegetable at the same confidence limit was Cabbage: 0.054 M 0.0093 mg Kg"1, Carrot:
0.035 ± O.Olrng Kg'1, and Lettuce: 0.096 ± 0.0199 mg Kg"1. The t^ evaluated to compare the
averages of fluoride levels in the vegetables using t-test at 95% confidence level (p = 0.05) for 18
degrees of freedom, 2.10 critical value, were 1.62, 5.77, and 1.84 for lettuce and cabbage, carrot
and cabbage, and carrot and lettuce respectively. Significant difference only exists in the fluoride
levels of carrot and cabbage with texp> the critical value. All the values obtained were well below
the toxic limit of 2.57-16.44 mg Kg'1 in soil and maximum contaminant level of 4.0 mg Kg'1 in food
and vegetable stipulated by EPA, FAO, and WHO Joint Standard limit for fluoride. The implication
of the results is that the use of the Galma river water for irrigation, and the contribution of fluoride
to the soil and vegetables from anthropogenic sources within and around the Galma river area, has
no deleterious effect on the soil and some vegetables cultivated in farms at the river bank.
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Keywords
Fluoride,, Irrigation farm,, soil,, vegetable,, River Galma.