Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Lead And Cadmium Contents Of Crude Oil Contaminated Water Samples From Warri, Delta State |
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER FIVE
ABSTRACT
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS) are group of organic compounds, consisting of two or more fused aromatic rings. The main purpose of this research is to determine the PAHS lead and cadmium contents of crude oil contaminated water samples from Warri, Delta state using Quality Analzer and Quality control method. Significantly high concentration of PAHS was found in water samples of Warri, Delta. PAHS concentrations detected in this study is higher. The PAHS patterns in water suggest the dominance of high molecular weight compound. They occurrence of PAHS in the marine environment has attracted the attention of the scientific community as these compounds are frequently detected in seawater at increasing levels and can have adverse effects on marine organisms and humans.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS) are group of organic compounds consisting of two or more fused aromatic rings (Yang and Silverman, 1988). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons originated mainly from anthropogenic processes, particularly from incomplete combustion of organic fuels. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are distributed widely in the atmosphere. Natural processes, such as volcanic eruptions and forest fires, also contribute to an ambient existence of PAH. (King el al., 2002). PAHs can be present in both particulate and gaseous phases, depending upon their volatility. Light molecular weight PAHS that have two or three aromatic rings are emitted in the gaseous phase, while high molecular weight PAHS with five or more rings, are emitted in the particulate phase. In the atmosphere, PAHS can undergo photo-degradation and react with other pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide, Nitrogen oxides and Ozone (Ionne et al., 2007) Due to widespread sources and persistent characteristics, PAHS disperse through atmospheric transport and exist almost everywhere. Human beings are exposed to PAH mixtures in gaseous or particulate phases in ambient air. Long term exposure to high concentrations of PAHS is associated with adverse health problems, since some PAHS are considered carcinogens, inhalations of PAHS in particulates is a potentially serious health risk linked to an excess risk of lung cancer (Hassanien, 2008). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS) were as the ninth most threatening compounds to human health 2001 (Simko et al, 2002). The carcinogenicity and mutagenicity of several compounds in this category is proved (Dickhut et al, 2000). Several epidemiological studies of PAHS especially among workers exposed to these compounds in a number of countries are carried out (Grimmer et al 1998). High molecular weight PAHS, i.e. PAHS with four or more condensed aromatic rings, are considered to be more dangerous than two and three ring PAHS in view of their higher genotoxic potentials.(Yang and Silverman, 1988). These compounds are ubiquitous in the environment, formed naturally by forest fires, volcanoes plants, fungi and bacteria or anthropogenically through the combustion of fossils fuels ( Hoffman et al , 1985). It is conceivable that faster deposition of exhaust aerosol dropletsoccurs close to the high way, while further spreading mediates by their adsorbed form on the dust particles that are distributed with wind ( Tuhackova et al, 2001), affected other media (e.g air, water, soil and plants). Therefore significant exposure risk for human, population is strongly expected (Abdel et al, 2008).
Acute myocardial infarction associated with increased traffic near homes close to a major roadways (Tonne et al, 2007). Also 85% increase in prevalence of coronary heart disease is seen among residents living within 30km distance from roads (Hoffman et al, 2006). The residence within 75m of a major road were associated with increase risk of lifetime, asthma, current asthma, and wheeze (Mc Connell et al, 2006). It is also reported that children growing up within 500m of a freeway had deficits in lung growth between ages 10 and 18 years (Gauderman et al 2004).
Crude oil exploration and exploitation is over lucrative, and a major revenue earner in Nigeria. But like most. But, like most industrial activities, it produces environmental hazard that are “Slow Poisons”, in that they often take months and years to cause disease and death. This is unlike the contamination of water, food and the environment with micro organisms which immediately results in ill health (Tuhackova et al, 2001).
The convert and show action of the hazard created by crude oil exploration and exploitation make it difficult to fully appreciate their contribution to the disease burden in Nigeria, especially in the oil bearing communities, even with the emergency of non- communicable disease as major causes of ill health in Nigeria. Each year, 100s of post- impact assessment (PIA) studies are conducted to assess the impact of the hazards generated by the oil industry on the physical and social environment and on human health. (Pengchai et al, 2002). But, most of these studies are conducted without any significant contribution from health professionals and are reported without highlighting the immediate and long term implications of the health members of the impacted communities. (Agency for toxic substances and Disease registry, 1996). Oil was first discovered in commercial quantities in the Niger Delta region in 1956 at Oloibiri, in the present day Bayelsa state. Other discoveries soon followed and exports began in 1958, although significant Quantities only began to flow from 1965, with the completion of a terminal on Bonny Island, In river state and pipelines to feed the terminal (Ana, et al., 2010). In 2004, Nigeria exported an average of 2.5 million barrels of crude oil everyday and with an oil reserve conservatively put at 35 billion barrels, this would continue for at least the next 40 years (Donohue et al., 2005) oil spill is a common fall out of oil exploitation and exploration in the Niger Delta region, with an estimated total of over 7000 oil spill incidents reported over a 50 years period carried out on some of these crude oil spills following the futile attempts to gain access to the official PIA studies of the oil spills (Anyakora et al, 2004). The oil spill affected at least 1500 communities in the eight crude oil producing state in Nigeria and were mainly from the 5284 oil wells that were drilled as at 2006 and the 7000km of crude oil pipeline that crisis crosses the Niger Delta region. (Achebe et al., 2012).
The aim of this study is to determine the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, lead and cadmium contents crude oil contaminated water samples.
The objectives of this study were based on the following
Water sample from two contaminated sites in Warri, Delta State.
| 1 - 5 of 96 Reviews |