Heavy metal concentration of crops (cocoyam and pawpaw) grown around Aneakie Obiakor Illegal Dumpsite, Awka was studied. Plants samples were collected from the waste dumpsite and control site during wet season, and analysed for level of concentration of 10 heavy metals using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometric method (AAS). The result was compared with the control site and WHO/FAO standard. It was observed that all the heavy metals present in the plants were within WHO/FAO safe limit with the exception of Pb, Hg, As and Cd. The study revealed that the presence of solid wastes on agricultural soil results in heavy metal accumulation in soil and bioaccumulation in plants. The work therefore, recommended regular monitoring of metals in plants for prevention of excessive buildup of the metals in the food chain.
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