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Vol.1 , No. 1, Publication Date: Apr. 27, 2018, Page: 17-23
 in Farmlands of a Tropical Oil Producing Region in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria&description=The distribution and accumulation of PAHs especially in arable farmlands is problematic as these contaminants are toxic to humans who consume edible crops and vegetables grown on such contaminated soils unknowingly. Consequently, regular and intensive monitoring of these ecosystem should be prioritized to avoid further contamination and pollution. To this end, this study carried out a pedological and risk assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in farmlands of a tropical oil producing region in Akwa Ibom State. Two sampling sites (non-flare and flare sites) were chosen where farming activities are predominant. Soil samples (twenty four in all) were collected at 6 different points from the flare and non-flare sites using a soil auger at two different rooting depths (0 – 15 cm and 15 – 30 cm) and analyzed for 17 PAHs using recommended standard methods. From the results, total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were much higher in the flare site (15.97 mg/kg) than in the non-flare site (3.38 mg/kg). The 5-ring PAHs were the most dominant among other aromatic rings in terms of percentage composition in the non-flare (31.66%) and flare site (27.11%) while the 2-ring PAHs were the least dominant with percentage composition of 8.58% and 7.51% in the non-flare and flare sites, respectively. The diagnostic ratio computed revealed that the apportionment of the PAHs in the ecosystem was primarily from pyrogenic/petrogenic/grass, coal or wood combustion/heavy fuel composition/petroleum sources. The ecological risk assessment revealed a mean ERM quotient value of 0.34 indicating a 30% toxicity probability in soils of both study sites. This poses a serious hazard to public health as these pollutants are carcinogenic and also calls for immediate remediation and intervention plans to salvage and protect this ecosystem as well as the lives of these farmers cultivating and consuming edible crops and vegetables ignorantly.&picture=http://www.aascit.org/aascit/decorators/img/journal/804.jpg)
| [1] | Ogbemudia Felix Okpako, Department of Botany and Ecological Studies, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria. |
| [2] | Ita Richard Ekeng, Department of Botany and Ecological Studies, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria. |
| [3] | Udo Ekaete David, Department of Botany and Ecological Studies, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria. |
The distribution and accumulation of PAHs especially in arable farmlands is problematic as these contaminants are toxic to humans who consume edible crops and vegetables grown on such contaminated soils unknowingly. Consequently, regular and intensive monitoring of these ecosystem should be prioritized to avoid further contamination and pollution. To this end, this study carried out a pedological and risk assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in farmlands of a tropical oil producing region in Akwa Ibom State. Two sampling sites (non-flare and flare sites) were chosen where farming activities are predominant. Soil samples (twenty four in all) were collected at 6 different points from the flare and non-flare sites using a soil auger at two different rooting depths (0 – 15 cm and 15 – 30 cm) and analyzed for 17 PAHs using recommended standard methods. From the results, total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were much higher in the flare site (15.97 mg/kg) than in the non-flare site (3.38 mg/kg). The 5-ring PAHs were the most dominant among other aromatic rings in terms of percentage composition in the non-flare (31.66%) and flare site (27.11%) while the 2-ring PAHs were the least dominant with percentage composition of 8.58% and 7.51% in the non-flare and flare sites, respectively. The diagnostic ratio computed revealed that the apportionment of the PAHs in the ecosystem was primarily from pyrogenic/petrogenic/grass, coal or wood combustion/heavy fuel composition/petroleum sources. The ecological risk assessment revealed a mean ERM quotient value of 0.34 indicating a 30% toxicity probability in soils of both study sites. This poses a serious hazard to public health as these pollutants are carcinogenic and also calls for immediate remediation and intervention plans to salvage and protect this ecosystem as well as the lives of these farmers cultivating and consuming edible crops and vegetables ignorantly.
Keywords
Pedology, Ecological Risk Assessment, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon, Farmland, Oil Producing Region, Diagnostic Ratio
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