Heavy metals contamination in plants and water is one of the major issues to be faced throughout the world and requires attention because bioaccumulation and biotransfer of heavy metals above their normal ranges are extremely threatened to both plant and animal life. Therefore studies were conducted to estimate levels of heavy metals in plants and water. Concentrations of some heavy metals were determined in Cicer arietinum and Glycine max plants which were irrigated with industrial waste water collected from Kota industrial area. Heavy metals for which these samples were analyzed were cadmium, zinc, iron, nickel, arsenic and lead. Flame absorption spectrometer was used for analyzing the samples. Results revealed that concentrations of cadmium, lead, iron and arsenic in water were recorded above the permissible limits set by World Health Organization (WHO) while zinc and nickel were recorded below the permissible limits in industrial waste water samples. Concentrations of heavy metals in plant samples were also compared with WHO standards for heavy metals and in industrial waste water irrigated plant samples. Concentration of heavy metals in plant was recorded above the permissible limits except zinc and arsenic which was recorded below the permissible limits set by WHO.
