Elevated Indoor Volatile Organic Compound Exposure in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Abstract

The implications of environmental contamination on human health in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria remain a topic of growing international public health interest. To better understand ongoing air pollution and initiate remediation efforts, the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) report recommended the monitoring of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) across different media (water, soil, and air) in Ogoniland, an at-risk population in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. In this pilot study, we measured indoor VOC concentrations in the indoor air of 20 households in Ogale, an Ogoniland community whose groundwater system is contaminated with benzene at levels 900 times the World Health Organization guidelines and evaluated self-reported health conditions and predicted cancer risks and hazards from inhalation exposure to VOCs. We detected higher concentrations of benzene (mean = 25.7 μg/m3, SD = 23.2 μg/m3) and naphthalene (mean = 7.6 μg/m3, SD = 13.8 μg/m3) than has been reported in other regions. Although study participants reported health symptoms consistent with VOC exposure, we were underpowered to detect a significant association between select indoor VOCs and these self-reported health symptoms using univariate logistic regression models. These findings suggest that that the health symptoms reported by participants may be poor proxies for the underlying disease processes associated with adverse health outcomes due to VOC exposure in this community and that the burden of adverse health effects due to VOC exposure may stem from the contaminated groundwater system. We estimated a non-cancer hazard quotient of 3 from exposure to naphthalene and lifetime excess cancer risks from exposure to naphthalene, benzene, p-dichlorobenzene, carbon tetrachloride, and ethylbenzene of 3 × 10−4, 2 × 10−4, 6 × 10−5, 6 × 10−6, and 1 × 10−5, respectively. These results exceed common risk benchmarks in the United States, suggesting a need for further studies to characterize VOC exposures, sources, and associated health risks in the Niger Delta.

Deranged hembiosynthetic pathway in gasoline dispensers in Nigeria: Implications for risk of myeloproliferative disorders and chemoprevention

“…Growing evidence indicates increasing exposure to petrochemicals, including benzene, particularly in the developing countries. [1][2][3] Benzene is a major component of gasoline to which gasoline dispensers (GDs) are persistently exposed in the occupational environment. is exposure may be additional to that from the general environment, alluding to the observation that the world today may be considered a chemical habitat with calls for improved understanding.…”

“…e current interest of the scientific community and lay public about environmental chemicals may be a resurgence of earlier calls by Rachel Carson nearly six decades ago and later called to question by Trewavas et al [5] Although the focus at the time was on pesticides, currently one of the most prevalent chemicals, particularly in the developing countries may be considered to be benzene. [1][2][3] Benzene being one of the numerous chemicals in gasoline and related products is ubiquitous. [6,7] and has been consistently linked to leukemia, [8] hemoproliferative disorder characterized by the presence of malignant haemopoietic cells within the peripheral circulation or bone marrow.…”

“…[13] It has been reported that the ambient air around buildings at close proximity to petrol filling stations also have increased levels of benzene. [1][2][3] us, there is increased benzene exposure in the environment including residential areas but substantially accentuated by that from petrol stations. [1,2,14] Gasoline dispensing stations in Nigeria and other neighboring countries like Ghana are sited with little regard to regulations as the sale of petrol and related petrochemicals in these countries is a very big business and considered very lucrative, [3] thus employing a large number of workers.…”

“…[1][2][3] us, there is increased benzene exposure in the environment including residential areas but substantially accentuated by that from petrol stations. [1,2,14] Gasoline dispensing stations in Nigeria and other neighboring countries like Ghana are sited with little regard to regulations as the sale of petrol and related petrochemicals in these countries is a very big business and considered very lucrative, [3] thus employing a large number of workers. As recently observed by some investigators, exposure to benzene through gasoline dispensing is of great public health significance in both urban and rural areas in Nigeria.…”

Two Phase Immiscible Fluids Flow Through a Porous Media: Viscosity and Drag Dependent on Pressure

“…Petroleum resource globally is considered the main source of energy that has been in use over centuries. It is an essential commodity that could be regarded as the backbone of today's global economy (2,3). The global ballooning population growth exerts high demand on energy and this has posed a threat to the natural environment when mishandled.…”