Assessment of Heavy Metals in Peppers Sold in Major Vegetable Markets of Kano State

Abstract

Heavy metal concentrations in four pepper samples sold in major vegetable markets in Kano Sate, North western Nigeria was investigated in this research work. The heavy metals analyzed for include, Nickel, Lead (Pb) and Copper (Cu) using Atomic Absorption Spectrophometry method. The results of the analysis revealed that Nickel ranged from (0.011±0.001ppm to 0.022±0.001ppm), Lead (0.053±0.001 to 0.100±0.001 ppm), and Cupper (0.003±0.0001 to 0.007±0.001 ppm), for all the analyzed pepper samples. The heavy metals concentrations in the pepper’s samples were significantly different at p < 0.05 level of significance among the selected markets. From the results, the levels of contamination by these heavy metals on the pepper samples were very low compared to the permissible limits stipulated by FAO/WHO (2012).