Abstract

Roadside dust samples were collected from commercial and residential areas in Damaturu, Yobe State, Nigeria for the determination of Cr, Pb, Cu, Fe, Ni, Co, Mn, Cd, As and Zn. Sample preparation and digestion were carried out using standard procedures. The samples were determined using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry after digestion with aqua regia. The levels of Cr, Pb, Cu, Fe, Ni, Co, Mn, Cd, As and Zn were found to be significantly higher in the roadside dust samples from commercial area, while the lowest levels of metal ions were noted in the roadside dust samples from residential area. The results further show that the concentrations of all the metals were significantly higher than the control points. From the results obtained, the concentrations of all the studied metals were generally above the WHO standard values for roadside dust. Hence, the traffic situation in the commercial area might be regarded as the sources of high heavy metals content in the roadside dust when compared with the residential area.

Key words: Heavy metals, traffic, FAAS, WHO.