Abstract
The Concentrations of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the organs of a commonly consumed Tilapia zilli from Escravos River in Delta State, Nigeria were evaluated to ascertain the level of their bioaccumulation and the possible human health risks associated with their consumption. Samples were analysed with a Gas Chromatographic Flame Ionization Detector system and results were subjected to a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to test for the significant level of the parameters across the groups. The level of significance was above 95% and the results were presented as mean ± standard error. The values of PAHs reported followed different trends. The muscle had the highest average concentration (313.43±1.64 mg/kg) followed by kidney (266.72±0.36 mg/kg) and the liver (266.17±0.81 mg/kg) while the gills had the lowest average concentration (192.96±1.09 mg/kg). The average concentrations of PAH reported in this research are highly above the EU recommended benchmark (2 µg/kg). The reported ailments from the communities cut across Escravos river could be traced to long term exposure of humans to these polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the sea foods which are transferred into their food chain because of their high level of dependency for protein source.
Highlights
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic compounds that are mostly colourless, white, or pale yellow solids
Some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are manufactured in the industry
It has been proved that PAHs can cause carcinogenic and mutagenic effects and are potent immune-suppressants
Summary
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic compounds that are mostly colourless, white, or pale yellow solids. They are a ubiquitous group of several hundred chemically related compounds, environmentally persistent with various structures and varied toxicity. They have toxic effects on organisms through various actions. It has been proved that PAHs can cause carcinogenic and mutagenic effects and are potent immune-suppressants. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) can be formed both during biological processes and as products of incomplete combustion from either natural combustion sources (forest and brush fires) or man-made combustion sources (automobile emissions and cigarette smoke). PAHs are commonly detected in air, soil, and water [3]
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