TITLE:
Proximal Input of Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Groundwater Sources of Okrika Mainland, Nigeria
AUTHORS:
C. G. Okoli, D. H. Ogbuagu, C. L. Gilbert, S. Madu, R. F. Njoku-Tony
KEYWORDS:
Carcinogenic, Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Groundwater, Gas Chromatography, Okrikamainland
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.2 No.6,
August
31,
2011
ABSTRACT: The Port Harcourt Refinery Company situated at Okrika Mainland discharges its effluent into the Creeks surrounding this coastal land. The current study examined the presence of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in groundwater sources of the coastal settlement. Ten replicate samples were collected from 10 boreholes in the settlement using sterilized amber glass bottles and fixed with concentrated H2SO4. They were later analyzed using Gas chromatography (GC). The Pearson product moment correlation coefficient (r) was used to determine the interactions of the PAHs detected while the One-way ANOVA was used to determine spatial variance equality in means of the PAHs components at P (971.1318) > Fcrit(3.85563)]. A further structure detection revealed that the inequalities were contributed by all the PAH components, especially between BH 3 and BH 1, BH 4 and BH 2 and 5, as well as between BH 6 and BH 10. Very strong associations were observed between the PAH components at P