Proximate Evaluation of Organic Pollutants in Onion Plants Cultivated Along the Bank of River Jakara Kano State of Nigeria

The paper gave result findings for organic pollutants in onion plants cultivated along the bank of River Jakara Kano State. Samples of onions were purchased and harvested in farms cultivated in the banks of the aforementioned Rivers. Samples of onions were treated and analyzed in National Research and Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT) Laboratory Zaria, Nigeria. Onion root samples analyzed has six (6) groups of organic pollutantsdetected with various percentage values. They include alkane (decane 10.6%, undecane 9.2%, dimethyl undecane, 2.3%, trimethyldecane 2.2%); alkyne (octadecyne, 1.9%); arene (aromadendrene, 2.3%); alkanol (phytol, 1.0%); fatty acid (hexadecanoic acid, 1.34%, linolenic acid, 1.7%); organosulphur (diphenyl cyclo propyl phenyl sulphoxide, 3.1%). While the onion control samples (collected from river Watari without activity) analyzed, gave one group of organic pollutants that is alkane group, they include docane (9.0%, 20.1%), methyl docane (9.2%, 12.8%), dodecane (4.0%, 8.6%), trimethylundecane (10.4%, 2.6%), octacosane (2.5%, 1.4%) and hexadecane (0.7%, 1.7%). The result of this study indicates that all the samples collected, examined and analyzed for onions (with exception of control samples) have percentage (%) values greater than threshold level recommended by World Health Organization (WHO) and National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), which is unsafe for human consumption.