The Uptake of Heavy Metals by

Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine and compare the content of heavy metals in various parts of the paddy plant, namely the grains, husks, leaves, stems and roots compared to the levels in the soil around the root zone. The study was conducted in several rice fields near Marudu, Sabah, Malaysia. The heavy metals studied were cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn). The heavy metals present in paddy plants and soils were detected using the atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) model Perkin Elmer 1100B. Other parameters studied were the soil grain sizes, percentage organic carbon and soil pH. The results showed that Fe was the most predominant metal ion in the rice grains and roots, while Mn was the most predominant metal in the rice husks, leaves and shoots. The highest mean percentage recorded for the soils of Kota Marudu were as follows: organic carbon (8.02%), grain size (85.92%) and soil pH (5.91). Mn occurred in the highest concentration in the non-litogenic fraction of the soil in all the areas studied. However, the concentrations of heavy metals in the rice grains were still below the maximum levels as stipulated by the Malaysian Food Act (1983) and Food Regulations (1985). Key words: Heavy metals Paddy plants (Oryza sativa) INTRODUCTION The objective of the study was to determine the Heavy metal pollution is mainly the result of and the root zone soil in the paddy area of Kota Marudu