An enormous deficiency lag exists in the demand and supply of potable water in Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria. The people have to pay lots of money to get potable water from water vendors, and those who cannot afford to pay patronize other unwholesome sources. Ossah River, one of the local drinking water sources, was studied to assess the heavy metal content and health risk assessment vis-a-vis its suitability for human consumption. Eight (8) heavy metals (Mn, Cu, Pb, Fe, Zn, Cd, Cr and Ni) were assessed between January and June 2018 in 3 stations, using atomic absorption spectrometer, and compared with Nigerian drinking water standards. Some of the heavy metals evaluated exceeded standards and warranted health risk assessment. Health risk assessment for all the stations indicated that there is no particularly dangerous single heavy metal, but their cumulative effect, indicated by the hazard index (HI). HI for all the stations highly exceeded threshold value (1). This calls for concern for both adults and children exposed to the water through ingestion. The heavy metal contamination observed was geogenic, exacerbated by anthropogenic activities.

中文翻译：

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尼日利亚东南部河流中的重金属含量和健康风险评估

尼日利亚阿比亚州乌穆阿希亚的饮用水供需方面存在巨大的短缺滞后。人们必须付出很多钱才能从供水商那里获得饮用水，而那些无力支付的人会光顾其他不卫生的水源。对欧萨河（Ossah River）（当地的饮用水源之一）进行了研究，以评估重金属含量和健康风险评估，以评估其对人类消费的适宜性。2018年1月至6月之间，使用原子吸收光谱仪在3个站点评估了八（8）种重金属（Mn，Cu，Pb，Fe，Zn，Cd，Cr和Ni），并使用原子吸收光谱仪进行了评估，并与尼日利亚饮用水标准进行了比较。评估的一些重金属超出了标准，需要进行健康风险评估。所有站点的健康风险评估表明，没有特别危险的单一重金属，但它们的累积作用由危险指数（HI）表示。所有站点的HI都大大超过阈值（1）。这引起成年人和儿童通过食入水接触的担忧。观察到的重金属污染是地质成因的，人为活动加剧了污染。