Abstract

This study investigated targeted toxic heavy metal contents and their health risks in local and foreign wheatbased liquors obtained in local markets in Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria. Liquor samples were treated with the concentrated mixture of nitric acid-hydrogen peroxide solution and the resulting solution was analyzed using Microwave Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (MP-AES). The mean contents of toxic heavy metals in the wheat liquors ranked in the order of Pb (1.96149 mg.L -1 ) > Cd (1.39746 mg.L -1 ) > Ni (1.06424 mg.L -1 ) > As (0.0356 mg.L -1 ) for the local wheat liquors and Pb (1.84044 mg.L -1 ) > (1.05842 mg.L -1 ) > Cd (0.91676 mg.L -1 ) > As (0.03344 mg.L -1 ) for the foreign wheat liquors. The non-carcinogenic risk analysis of the wheat liquors produced a total HI of 0.1454, indicating a low-risk hazard index while the carcinogenic risk indicators suggested a high carcinogenic risk tendency due to individual contributions of Cd, Ni, and Pb ions. The total carcinogenic risk potential due to additive toxic metal effect was considered highly significant.