Human health risk assessment of heavy metals from a crude oil polluted agricultural soil in Ogoniland, Nigeria

Heavy metal contamination of agricultural soils can instigate risk to human health via oral ingestion, particle inhalation, and dermal contact. The study evaluates the concentrations, distribution, and human health risk of various heavy metals in soil samples from crude oil polluted agricultural soil of Ogoniland, Nigeria. Soil samples were collected and analyzed for cadmium, lead, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, zinc, arsenic and mercury using AAS (SensAA). Measured concentrations of these heavy metals were employed to calculate the health risk for children and adults using Hazard Index (HI). For the children and adult population, the HI value for oral ingestion to lead in the polluted site was greater than one (HI > 1), and hence non-carcinogenic effects is considered as significant for human health. It is therefore of the essence to consider taking risk management measures in order to reduce the risk of human health from lead.