Potential health risk assessment of sediment and water in some Niger Delta areas of Nigeria

Abstract

The Niger Delta areas of Nigeria suffer substantial environmental issues owing to radionuclides pollution in sediment and water. These places are vital for local residents, supplying drinking water, food, and livelihoods. However, exposure to radionuclides causes health concerns to both people and aquatic species. This research examines health risk in sediment and water from some chosen locations in Delta State, Nigeria. Twelve (12) sediment samples and Twelve (12) water samples were randomly chosen and gathered from four communities at a depth of 10 cm, with each location giving 200 g of samples spaced of minimum of 50 m apart. Analysis was done at the CERD - IFE utilizing Gamma Ray Spectrometry, which contained a thallium-activated 16″x16″ Sodium iodide [NaI(Tl)] detector to quantify the activity concentrations of ²³⁸U, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K. The analysis indicated that activity concentrations in sediment samples for ⁴⁰K, ²³⁸U, and, ²³²Th varied from 294.29 ± 11.98 to 774.4 ± 10.92, 3.91 ± 0.06 to 14.13 ± 0.1, and 1.32 ± 0.05 to 5.29 ± 0.10 Bq/kg, respectively. In water samples, activity concentrations for ⁴⁰K, ²³⁸U, and, ²³²Th ranged from 232.32 ± 5.08 to 780.72 ± 9.31, 5.34 ± 0.06 to 11.29 ± 0.04, and 0.93 ± 0.04 to 3.07 ± 0.08 Bq/l, respectively. Base on health risk assessment, radium equivalent (Ra_eq) values ranged from 242.34 to 556.41 Bq/kg, with a mean value of 396.21 Bq/kg and was found to exceed the international standard of 370 Bq/kg. The discrepancies are due to geological differences and the existence of radioactive thorium materials, variable behavior and metabolism. Although radionuclide hazard indices suggest that the communities are safe from radiation, the long-term impacts of low-dose radiation exposure might pose health problems, hence frequent monitoring of radioactive levels in sediments and water is advised.