Abstract
Elevated levels of petroleum hydrocarbon and certain heavy metal compounds in soil samples due to environmental and manmade operations can amount to concentrations considered as toxic. Soil samples from 3 different locations, 30 meters from each other were collected and assessed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH), selected heavy metal concentrations, pH, Electrical Conductivity, texture, organic matter, moisture content and bacterial population. The results on the test sites showed that pH range for the workshop soil samples was between 5.08-5.45 in comparison to the control 6.74. Data obtained also revealed that the tested site A alone contained lead (44.91 mg/g) and cadmium (0.01 mg/g). The heavy metal content for sites A, B and C where higher than that of the control site D for which the enrichment factors was determined for sodium (1.07, 3.34, 4.12), copper (2.73, 2.63, 1.57), iron (9.84, 10.67, 9.21), zinc (4.78, 2.58, 2.98), nickel (1.44, 1.11, 1.56) and manganese (2.57, 2.23, 3.77) respectively. The moisture content and electrical conductivity ranged between 44.7-46.5% and 985.6-1124.7 (µS/cm) respectively as opposed to 44.9%, 846.3 (µS/cm) for the control. Total bacterial enumeration revealed a count of 2.28 x 104 (cfu/g), 2.01 x 104 (cfu/g), 1.98 x 103 (cfu/g) and 2.71 x 105 (cfu/g) at sites A, B, C and D respectively. The presence of hydrocarbon and heavy metal pollutants due to the activities at the mechanic workshop resulted in change of known physicochemical properties which in turn affects the ecology as well as life forms in the area.
Highlights
Industrialization and global expansion has in recent times witnessed the increase sales of petroleum products that serve the use of automotive devices around the world
Three soil samples obtained from different locations within the studied sites (Apo mechanic workshop) were given the designation A, B, and C respectively while that of the control was denoted as D. chromatographic analysis of these soils revealed the presence of 19-20 different polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at different concentrations (Table 1)
The resultant total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) values aligns with that obtained for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) suggesting a higher but inappropriate rate of petroleum product disposal emanating from site C or the highest accumulation polluting agents at site C quickly followed by site B (Table 1)
Summary
Industrialization and global expansion has in recent times witnessed the increase sales of petroleum products that serve the use of automotive devices around the world. These products serve the needs of mankind, their disposal presents a unique challenge to the environment for which growing concerns of their effect on human health, damages terrestrial and aquatic life forms, destruction of different ecosystems, depletion of soil fertility, etc has sparked worldwide protests [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. Reports suggest that upon ingestion of plants tainted with elevated levels of heavy metals, these contaminants gain entry to the blood stream and are circulated to other parts of the body where they disrupt metabolic functions, weaken the immune system, impede cell signaling, thereby triggering a cascade of molecular events that preempts the production of reactive oxygen species, development of carcinomas, and onset of reproductive defects [12,13]
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