14. Spectrometric analysis of heavy metal in Parthenium hysterophorus medicinal plant collected from district Karak and Peshawar
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Abstract
The contamination by heavy metals in plants is one of the major problems faced by the entire planet and it requires attention because when heavy metals exceeds from normal ranges, it becomes enormously susceptible to the plant. It was therefore a matter of great attention to carry out a study to calculate approximate levels of heavy metals in plants of district Karak and Peshawar. In the present study, a heavy metal such as Cd, Cu, Fe, and Pb was investigated in a medicinally important plant, Parthenium hysterophorus by using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The plant samples were collected from different locations of Karak and Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The stem, leaves and underground parts were found to contain all heavy metal except Cd. Cu was ranging from 17.25 to 18.69 mg/kg in Karak and 17.35 to 19.78mg/kg in Peshawar, i.e. above the permissible limit set by WHO in all the plant samples. Fe was from 3.42 to 14.33 mg/kg in Karak and 4.17 to 15.12 mg/Kg in Peshawar, which is below the permissible limit set by WHO. Pb was 4.32 to 6.45 mg/kg in Karak and 1.47 to 7.82 mg/Kg in Peshawar that is above the permissible limit in the roadside plants.
Keywords: Karak; National highway (NHA); Peshawar; Parthenium hysterophorus; Spectrometric analysis