ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METALS PRESENT IN SOIL SAMPLES OBTAINED FROM GOLD MINING VILLAGES IN SELECTED AREAS WITHIN ATAKUMOSA WEST LGA OF OSUN STATE, NIGERIA.

Artisanal gold mining in Nigeria is a lucrative industry, yet it poses serious health risks and environmental pollution by releasing toxic metals into the environment. The research aimed to determine the concentrations and distributions of selected heavy metals, including chromium, cadmium, copper, lead, zinc, mercury, and arsenic, in soil samples. Soil samples were collected from 5 mining villages: Ibodi, Fadugba, Igila, Gbodo-araromi, and Itagunmodi. The soil samples were prepared by removing unwanted materials and digested with aqua-regia. The digested samples were heated at 95°C for 3–4 hours in a fume cupboard until the solution was clear, allowed to cool, and then 20 ml of deionized water was added, filtered, and taken for analysis by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The results show significant mercury pollution in Igila (1.211±0.004 ppm) and Ibodi (1.154±0.002 ppm), and cadmium in Ibodi (1.142±0.002 ppm), Fadugba (1.141±0.002 ppm), and Gbodo-araromi (1.832±0.002 ppm). They were above the permissible limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO). These villages need urgent intervention from the State Government to prevent these metals from entering the food chain; solutions such as remediation and environmental clean-up are suggested to keep the villagers safe from cadmium and mercury poisoning.