Occurrence and exposure risk of mono-aromatic hydrocarbons in selected petroleum product jetty impacted soils from the Niger Delta, Nigeria

This study evaluated the occurrence and human exposure risk of mono-aromatic hydrocarbons (MAHs) such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o,p-xylene (BTEX) in soils from petroleum product jetty from the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Samples were collected from the top (0-15 cm), sub (15-30 cm), and bottom (30-45 cm) soil depths. The MAHs components were determined using Headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (HS-GCMS). The individual and ƩMAHs concentrations ranged from not detected (ND) to 1528 μg kg and ND to 2512 μg kg respectively. The total cancer risks were within the low category. The source identification indicated that the origin MAHs species are attributed to solvent, paints, and gasoline-diesel spill and particulate emission from gasoline/diesel combustion exhaust in the vicinity of the petroleum product jetty. This depicts the presence of low molecular weight petroleum fractions such as gasoline and kerosene that could exhibit toxicological and carcinogenic effects to organisms in soils within the jetty. Clean-up actions should be carried out to prevent the accumulation of MAHs in soil-plant uptake and the potential ecological and human exposure risks of MAHs in the surrounding soil and aquatic ecosystem.