Abstract
Background.Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are common pollutants in water and have been reported to cause severe health effects in humans as well as the ecosystem.Objectives.This study examined the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and estimated the human health risk from water samples around Atlas Cove jetty, Lagos, Nigeria.Methods.Physical and chemical parameters and PAHs were determined in Atlas Cove jetty water using standard methods from June to August 2016 at five different points of activity. Chronic daily intake through ingestion, exposure dose via dermal absorption and carcinogenic risks were calculated for children and adults.Results.Electrical conductivity values ranged from 23,600±57.74 - 30,000±57.74 μS/cm. Dissolved oxygen ranged from 6.27±0.46 - 9.60±0.00 mg/L. Biochemical oxygen demand levels ranged from 2.93±0.61 - 7.33±0.23 mg/L and total dissolved solid ranged from 17,500±57.74 - 20,000±57.74 mg/L for the water samples, which was higher than permissible limits. The values obtained for pH, chemical oxygen demand, nitrate, sulphate and phosphate for the water samples were within World Health Organization (WHO) limits except for pH at point 2 (3.18±0.02). A total of eleven PAH congeners were detected in the water samples. The concentrations of total PAHs observed in water samples ranged from 46 - 507 μg/L. Low molecular weight PAHs were more dominant in all samples. It was observed that 2–3 ring PAHs accounted for 63.64% of PAHs, 4-rings PAHs accounted for 27.27% of PAHs, and 5–6 ring PAHs accounted for 9.09% of PAHs.Conclusions.Carcinogenic risks calculated for both adults and children were higher than the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) acceptable cancer risk, and much higher for children, which suggests that children could be prone to cancer through ingestion. Fauna and flora around the Atlas Cove jetty may be at risk due to water pollution.Competing Interests.The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Highlights
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic chemical compounds that can occur naturally in the environment, but their occurrence can be accelerated by anthropogenic activities
The physical and chemical parameters in the present study were within permissible limits except for electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total dissolved solids (TDS)
The high ratio of low molecular weight (LMW) PAHs compared to High molecular weight (HMW) PAHs suggests that PAH contamination around Atlas Cove jetty may be of natural origin or a result of oil spillage
Summary
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic chemical compounds that can occur naturally in the environment, but their occurrence can be accelerated by anthropogenic activities They can be biologically amplified to high concentrations in food webs.[1] Levels of PAHs classified as priority organic pollutants have steadily increased in recent years and occur in food, air, water, soil and sediments.[2,3] The main sources of these contaminants in the environment include forest fire, natural petroleum seeps, combustion of fossil fuel, coal burning, industrial and municipal waste, waste water and sewage. This study examined the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and estimated the human health risk from water samples around Atlas Cove jetty, Lagos, Nigeria. The presence of LMW PAHs such as naphthalene, fluorine and acenaphthene in environmental media indicate natural or petrogenic PAH contamination, while a prominent
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