Pollution Loads and Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in the Urban Soil from various locations throughout Bayelsa State, Nigeria

The detection of heavy metals (HM) in soil has emerged as a significant issue amid growing environmental awareness, revealing the intricate interplay between anthropogenic influences and natural elements that impact our terrestrial ecosystems. Consequently, the objective of this paper was to evaluate the Pollution Loads and Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in the Urban Soil from various locations throughout Delta State, Nigeria using appropriate standard procedures. Data obtained show that the mean and standard deviation concentrations of heavy metals in soil samples within the study area were Zn (19.08 and 9.19)mg/kg; Cr(13.92 and 6.22)mg/kg, Cu (10.56 and 4.95)mg/kg; Pb(4.69 and 1.99)mg/kg, Cd (2.045and 1.86)mg/kg, Co(9.524and 4.49)mg/kg, Ni(3.23and 1.36)mg/kg and As (0.003(mg/kg) respectively An ecological risk assessment was conducted in the specified study area, noted for its modified soil conditions. Findings obtained from several heavy metal indices, namely the Potential Ecological Risk Assessment (ERI), Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo), Degree of Contamination (Cdeg), and Nemerow Pollution Index (PNI), revealed that considerable human activities—like automobile maintenance, waste disposal, and farming practices—are the main sources of heavy metals in the soil of the examined area. Nevertheless, the information from Igeo was inconsistent with the conclusions drawn from the ERI, which proposed that the soil samples were not contaminated. Furthermore, Cdeg assessments suggested that the level of contamination in the soil was minimal for agricultural and farming purposes being the major occupation of the inhabitants.