Petroleum hydrocarbons contamination of the environment associated with exploration, development and production operations is a common feature in oil producing nations around the world, especially in a developing country like Nigeria where the incidence of facilities sabotage, operational failures, accidental discharges, pipeline vandalization and leakages, bunkering and artisanal refining is very common. Apart from poor governance systems, poor corporate social responsibility (CSR) of multinational oil companies (MOCs), poor environmental regulation of the petroleum industry, the inability of the political elite to effectively manage petroleum hydrocarbon-derived revenue, loss of petroleum hydrocarbons resource revenue to corruption and theft, petroleum hydrocarbons contamination of the total environment (air, soil, water and biota) have impacted negatively on the human health and wellbeing of oil producing communities in the Nigeria's Niger Delta region. Findings from several studies have revealed variable negative impacts of petroleum hydrocarbons toxicity on the human health (including exposed populations), the natural environment and other ecological receptors. Over the past fifty-five years, the oil producing host communities in the Nigeria's Niger Delta region have experienced a wide range of environmental pollution, degradation, human health risks, deterioration of our cultural heritage items and socio-economic problems as a result of various activities associated with petroleum exploration, development and production. Petroleum hydrocarbons contamination of surface water and groundwater is a notable environmental and human health problem in the oil producing communities and there are several water quality issues in the Nigeria's Niger Delta region. This review examines some of the water quality issues and human health implications of petroleum hydrocarbons contamination of controlled water sources (surface-water and groundwater) in the oil producing host communities in the Nigeria's Niger Delta region. It will further highlight some of the problems of petroleum hydrocarbons contamination and/or pollution of marine environments associated with unsustainable practices of petroleum industry in the region.

The palynological study of the outcrop Formations in parts of Ini Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Southeastern Niger Delta Basin, Nigeria has contributed to unraveling the palynostratigraphy and paleoenvironments of the outcrops through the use of diagnostic palynomorphs. The section is made up of carbonaceous shales, sandstones, mudstones and claystones. The conventional maceration technique for recovering acid-insoluble organic-walled microfossils from sediments was used to prepare twenty outcrop samples for palynological studies. The samples produced poor to fair diversity assemblages of palynomorphs. A total of 176 palynomorphs species were recorded, with 48% pollen grains, 33% spores, 12% dinoflagellate cysts, 5% fungal spores, and 2% microforam test wall linings. Based on stratigraphically selected index taxa recovered,age determination and correlation wereestablished. The samples from Imo Formation were assigned Late Paleocene-Eocene based on Psilatricolporites Crassus, Retitricolporites irregularies, Psilatricolporites sp. and Leiotriletes adriennis with the presence of Paleocene dinoflagellate cysts such as Lejeunacysta beninensis and Selenopemphix nephroides. Ameki samples were dated Early-Middle Eocene based on Proxapertites operculatus, Retistephanocolpites williamsi, Mauritidites crassiexinius, Monocolpites marginatus and Longapertites marginatus. Ogwashi-Asaba shale samples were assigned Late Eocene-Early Oligocene due to the abundant presence of Verrucatosporites usmensis, Laevigatosporites discordatus and Retitricolporites irregularis while Eze-Aku samples were tentatively assigned Paleocene because of the presence of two pollen index fossils Proxapertites operculatus and Pachydermites diederixi. Inferred depositional conditions suggest that Imo Formation was deposited in a shallow marine or near shore brackish water estuarine environment. The Ameki Formation was accumulated in a marginal marine or near shore, brackish water-estuarine environment in the upper deltaic setting. The Ogwashi-Asaba Formation was deposited in a progradational shoreline moving between the brackish water and fresh water deltaic plain. The Eze-Aku Formation was deposited in an upper foreshore fresh water environment. The palynological study of the samples are Paleogene Formations while the paleoenvironment is in a costal deltaic to shallow-marine environment and are appropriate for hydrocarbon accumulations and exploration.

Indoor air quality parameters were investigated in an occupied air-conditioned office and unoccupied air-conditioned office located in the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences Complex in Akwa Ibom State University -Nigeria, during the rainy (June -July) and dry (November -December) seasons of 2016. Particulate matter (PM 1 , PM 2 , PM 5 , PM 10 ), temperature, relative humidity, carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) levels were simultaneously measured in fourteen (14) 10 . This study has revealed that the particulate matter (PM 1 , PM 2 , PM 5 , PM 10 ) concentrations in an occupied air-conditioned office were significantly (P < 0.001) higher than those obtained in unoccupied air-conditioned office during both rainy and dry seasons. However, the concentrations of PM 10 obtained in the present study were found to be much lower than the ambient maximum contaminant level for airborne PM 10 standard promulgated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) (150 μg/m 3 daily average and 50 μg/m 3 annual average) and World Health Organization (WHO) PM 10 guidelines values (50 μg/m 3 daily average and 20 μg/m 3 annual average). Although there were no significant relationships among PM 1 , PM 2 , PM 5 , and PM 10 in occupied air-conditioned office, correlation analysis indicated that PM 1 , PM 2 and PM 5 were significantly correlated at P < 0.01 in unoccupied air-conditioned office and correlation coefficients were different. Apart from suspended atmospheric dust and settling dust, human activities in the occupied air-conditioned office significantly influenced the particulate matter concentrations obtained compared to those obtained in unoccupied air-conditioned office in both rainy and dry seasons. Although the concentrations of CO and CO 2 were below detection limit (BDL), they indicated adequate air exchange at the time of the assessment in the air-conditioned office during the sampling period. The results obtained have revealed important contributions towards the understanding of particulate matter distribution patterns and provided baseline data that can be used for potential identification of human health risks associated with airborne particulate matter in air-conditioned offices in Akwa Ibom State University -Nigeria. Keywords

Total organic carbon and Rock – Eval pyrolysis studies were conducted on seven (7) shale samples outcropping in parts of Ini Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Southeastern Niger Delta, Nigeria. The studies were done to determine the quantity and quality of organic matter in the shale source rock, and their hydrocarbon generation potential. Total organic carbon (TOC) values indicate poor to excellent organic richness with values ranging from 0.46 wt.% to 5.98 wt.%. The free oil content (S1) values range from 0.02-0.21 mg HC/g rock, (mean = 0.07 mg HC/g rock), while the source rock potential (S2) ranges from 0.08-1.09 mg HC/g rock with an average value of 0.45 mg HC/g rock both indicating poor source rock generative potential. The Hydrogen Index (HI) and the Oxygen Index (OI) range from 11 mg HC/g TOC to 59 mg HC/g TOC and 41 mg CO/g TOC to 74 mg CO/g TOC with an average value of 27.28 mg HC/g TOC and 55.71 mg CO/g TOC respectively. HI versus OI and S2 versus TOC cross plot results indicate that shale in parts of Ini Local Government Area contains organic matter capable of generating kerogen type III to type 1V which is gas prone.