International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Publications ISSN (Online): 2581-6187 255 Fatima S. Mohammed and Garba Baba, “Assessment of Some Heavy Metals in Blood Samples of Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Women in Damaturu, Yobe State,” International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Publications (IJMRAP), Volume 5, Issue 12, pp. 255-258, 2023. Assessment of Some Heavy Metals in Blood Samples of Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Women in Damaturu, Yobe State Fatima S. Mohammed*, Garba Baba S.LT. Department, Federal Polytechnic, Damaturu, Yobe State. Nigeria Abstract—The investigation involved structured interview with the 65 healthy non pregnant women randomly selected from the various wards and 75 pregnant women that were attending antenatal clinics at 4 Health care centers in Damatru, followed by collection of blood samples for heavy metals analysis. The blood samples were acid- digested and the metals were analyzed by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (using AAS -Buck scientific model 210GP). This study aimed at determining the status of toxic elements (heavy metals) in pregnant women of different age groups as well as non- pregnant women in Damaturu, Yobe State and to compare the results obtained with cited literature values of heavy metals in blood in order to assess the exposures of women to the heavy metals and possible health risks as designated by Health regulatory agencies such as WHO. The results obtained indicated higher concentrations of As, Cr, Ni, Mn, in the blood samples of Pregnant women, with Pb, Zn, Co, Hg, Al having higher concentrations in the non-pregnant blood samples. Among the metals analysed Zn was found to have the highest mean concentration of 0.0151, sem 0.0034 mg l-1 of blood, followed by As with mean concentration of 0.0076 with sem of 0.0370, whilst Cd was below detection limit in all the blood samples. The concentrations of the heavy metals in the blood of pregnant and non-pregnant women in Damaturu were found to within the WHO and US EPA permissible limits, and less than those analysed in China, Iran and US. Environmental factors such as heavy metals exposure can have interference with women reproductive health, usually Lead (Pb) being frequently distributed in the environment are recognized as toxic to human reproductive system. Exposure to large concentration of trace elements such as As, Cd, Mg, and Zn can lead to accumulation in human follicular fluid and may diminish fecundity (reproduction capacity). Naturally, heavy metals get into human body through ingestion, inhalation and absorption in small extent as trace elements, essential to maintain the metabolism of human body. Trace amount of metals maybe essentially used in metabolic activities, but high exposures are dangerous to humans because of their tendency to bioaccumulation and bio-magnification, which lead to an increase in the concentration of the metals in biological organisms or targeted organs over a time unit and becomes hazardous to health. Keywords— Heavy metals, Blood, pregnant women, Exposure. I. INTRODUCTION Pregnancy period is an important course of women’s life. It is considered as a period during which there is a high sensitivity toward toxic substances. This period also comes with pregnancy complications and reproductive health issues which may involve either mother’s health, the child’s, or both. The host of environmental factors that may influence negatively on human reproductive system include poor maternal diet and toxic metals among others. A reported study on animals revealed that increased uptake of heavy metals such as Lead (Pb), Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Mercury (Hg) and other toxic metal elements interfered with the normal pregnancy which may result in abortion among other physiological dysfunctions. Another route of exposure that is endogenous demands for a great concern, as many toxic metals may be mobilized from accumulated organs like bones, to the blood stream during pregnancy after period of exposure (Semczuk et al, 2001), those metals have the tendency to cross the fetal membrane which potentially harm the fetus, and no level has been proven for safety during pregnancy for many metals (Ajajiy et al., 2012). Heavy metal elements such as Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg) Cadmium (Cd) and Arsenic (AS) are the potential essential toxic elements known for their ability to bio-accumulate in the human body and result in multi-organ disruption (Ray SA, et al, 2009). The mechanism of heavy metal toxicity can best be explained by their ability to interact with nuclear proteins and DNA, resulting in oxidative deterioration of biological macromolecules (Leonard et al, 2004). Environmental factors such as heavy metals exposure can have interference with women reproductive health, usually Lead (Pb) been frequently distributed in the environment are recognized as toxic to human reproductive system. Exposure to large concentration of trace elements such as AS, Cd, Mg, and Zn can lead to accumulation in human follicular fluid and may diminish fecundity (reproduction capacity) (Blooma, 2011). Environmental exposure to toxic heavy metals are assessed by using self-administered questionnaires, by measuring the ambient environment, by conducting numerical modelling and, in particular, by collecting and analysing biological samples such as blood, urine, hair and breast milk (Michinkawa et al., 2018). Naturally, heavy metals get into human body through ingestion, inhalation and absorption in small extent as trace elements, essential to maintain the metabolism of human body. Thus, trace amount of toxic metals maybe essentially used in metabolic activities, but some are dangerous to humans because of their tendency to bioaccumulation and bio- magnification, which lead to an increase in the concentration of the metals in biological organisms or targeted organs over a time unit and becomes hazardous to health (Meta et al, 2008). This can result in deficiency of some certain nutrient as well can lead to Parkinson’s disease, cancers, skin disorders, respiratory abnormalities, abnormal pains and internal