Abstract: Access to safe and clean drinking water is essential but  underground water contamination by some (heavy) metals poses a serious threat to water quality in many areas. This research focus was to analyze the concentration of various metals in underground water samples obtained from different locations in Malete, Kwara State, Nigeria. The metals of interest include lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), uranium (U), and cobalt (Co), which are associated with adverse health and environmental effects, such as cancer and other forms of diseases. Through atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS), the samples collected from Westend 1, Westend 2, Yidi road, New Yidi road, and School Road were analyzed to assess the concentration of some metals that can pose health risks. The results showed that the average lead (Pb) concentration across samples was 0.07 mg/L, chromium (Cr) was 0.02 mg/L, the average manganese (Mn) concentration was 0.16 mg/L, Uranium (U) averaged at 0.02 mg/L  and Cobalt (Co) was found at an average concentration of 0.03 mg/L. The results  were compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water quality standards. Chromium (Cr) concentration was below the WHO  standard of 0.05 mg/L suggesting a low risk of chromium toxicity. while other metals were above the standard. Hence ,the results identified potential sources of metal contamination and represents a significant step toward addressing the environmental and health challenges posed by some metals contamination in Malete.

Water science/quality

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