Heavy Metal Concentrations in Soil from Selected Rice Farms at Cheju, Zanzibar
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Date
2015
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SCIENCEDOMAIN international
Abstract
Advancement of science and technology has enhanced the use of chemical products, such as
fertilizer and pesticides, into agriculture to improve yield. Normally, these products contain metals
which are detrimental to human health. These metals may be absorbed by plants and hence be
introduced into food chain. In this study, samples of soil from Cheju rice farms were analyzed for
heavy metals associated with agrochemicals using Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence
(EDXRF) Spectrometry. Sixty soil samples were collected from Cheju rice farms and 10 control
samples were collected from Mwera about 25 km from Cheju. T-test to compare the mean
concentrations of elements in fertilized and control soils showed that the soil samples from Cheju
farms had significantly higher concentrations of most of the determined metals compared to the
control sample. Higher concentrations of these elements in fertilized soil may be attributed to the
repeated use of agrochemicals in farming. Analysis of rice grains from the field and other samples
from the neighbouring ecosystem is recommended.
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Keywords
Cheju rice farms, heavy metal, fertilizers, pesticides, EDXRF