Human health and ecological risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediment of Woji creek in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria

Owhonda Chikeru Ihunwo; Millicent Uzoamaka Ibezim-Ezeani; Tomás Angel DelValls

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111903

Human health and ecological risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediment of Woji creek in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria

Mar Pollut Bull. 2021 Jan:162:111903. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111903. Epub 2020 Dec 13.

Authors

Owhonda Chikeru Ihunwo¹, Millicent Uzoamaka Ibezim-Ezeani², Tomás Angel DelValls³

Affiliations

¹ Niger Delta Aqua Research Group, Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry Technology, School of Science Laboratory Technology, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt P. M. B. 5323, Choba, Rivers State, Nigeria.
² Niger Delta Aqua Research Group, Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry Technology, School of Science Laboratory Technology, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt P. M. B. 5323, Choba, Rivers State, Nigeria; Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, University of Port Harcourt, P. M. B. 5323, Choba, Rivers State, Nigeria. Electronic address: millicent.ibezim-ezeani@uniport.edu.ng.
³ Niger Delta Aqua Research Group, Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry Technology, School of Science Laboratory Technology, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt P. M. B. 5323, Choba, Rivers State, Nigeria; Department of Ecotoxicology, Santa Cecília University (UNISANTA), Santos, São Paulo, Brazil.

PMID: 33321306
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111903

Abstract

Human health risk was determined by assessing risk due to dermal contact with the sediment and Benzo [a] pyrene -equivalent concentrations (BaP-TEQ- carcinogenic equivalents and BaP-MEQ- mutagenic equivalents). Ecological risk of PAHs in the sediment was determined by comparing PAHs concentrations to effect range low (ERL) and effect range median (ERM); to estimate the risk associated with the combined effects of PAHs, mean ERM quotient (mERMq) was calculated. Results revealed that hazard index (HI) due to dermal contact of the sediment for adults are 596 and 73.84 for children. Similarly, cancer risk for adults was all >10^-1 and was within 10^-3 ≤ 10^-1 for children, for every compound; the sum of cancer risk for adults and children were 8.26 and 1.022 respectively.

Keywords: Carcinogenic risk; Ecological risk; Human health risk; Mutagenic risk; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).

MeSH terms

Child
Environmental Monitoring
Geologic Sediments
Humans
Niger
Nigeria
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons* / analysis
Risk Assessment
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Water Pollutants, Chemical