Assessment of Potentially Toxic Elements Concentration in the Bottom Sediment of the Dockyard Creek in Port Harcourt, Nigeria
By Ibrahim Latifat, Osuji, L.C., Obafemi, A.A, Hart A.IVarious anthropogenic activities such as urbanisation and industrialisation have significantly increased the concentration of contaminants in the aquatic environment with various degrees of impact. With specific interest on the contaminants in a dockyard environment, the study assesses the potentially toxic elements-PTEs (Iron (Fe), Nickel (Ni), Cadmium (Cd), Barium (Ba), Vanadium (Va), Mercury (Hg), Zinc (Zn), Lead (Pb), Chromium (Cr) and Copper (Cu)) concentration in the bottom sediment of the dockyard creek in Port Harcourt, Nigeria using atomic absorption spectrophotometer model AA ZT 09. Results obtained from this study showed that the pH values ranged from 5.28 to 5.40 while the Electrical conductivity (EC) values varied from 15510 to 16160.53 µS/cm. The concentrations of Fe, Zn, Mn, Pb, and Cu are significantly different across the zones and control site at P < 0.05. The elevated levels of Fe, Zn, Mn, Pb, and Cu in Zones 1, 2, and 3 compared to the control site suggest substantial contamination in these areas. Effective monitoring and management strategies are crucial to mitigate PTEs pollution.