Ingestion and Dermal Cancer Risk Via Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Contaminated Soils in an Oil Producing Community, Niger Delta, Nigeria.

There is an intrinsic link between PAHs accumulated in soils and increased health risk to humans when exposed to contaminated soil via ingestion, inhalation of particulates carrying PAHs, and direct contact with polluted soils. However, the assessment of PAH contamination in most developing countries fails to consider health risk assessment. Therefore, a comprehensive study was conducted to determine the concentration, source, toxicity as well as the human health risks of 16 PAHs in an urban area in Warri, Delta State in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Results showed varying contamination levels for PAH in soil samples from all sampling points, with Benzo(a)anthracene (338.81μg/kg) being the most abundant in all 9 stations. The highest total concentration of PAH was observed in Station 5 (1230.98 μg/kg) which was closest to a flow station. Further comparison with PAH contamination standards, showed that soils from station 1 and 2 where weakly contaminated ( 1000). BaP estimates for soil samples obtained for stations 3-9 were higher than the BaP soil screening value (15 μg/kg), indicating the carcinogenic potential of soil samples. Results also show that the Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risks (ILCRs) estimates for PAH in the soil for adults and children were above the recommended threshold (10-4 ) for ingestion and dermal contact, implying that exposure to contaminated soil could lead to cancer effects for adults and children. Currently, there are no regional nor national standards for PAHs in soil, indicating an increased likelihood for human exposure and subsequently, health issues This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.