Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in <i>Telfairia occidentalis</i> from two Markets in Ohafia Area, Abia State, Nigeria

Abstract

The presence and contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated in the leaves of Telfairia occidentalis obtained from Abia-  Ohafia and Okagwe-Ohafia markets within Ohafia Local Government Area, Abia State, Nigeria. The samples from the two markets were divided into  three portions. The first portion was not washed (UW), the second portion was washed with tap water (WTW) and the last portion was washed with  an aqueous solution of sodium chloride (WSS) before drying, milling and extraction. Quantification of the PAHs was carried out using a Gas  Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) technique. Eighteen PAHs were analyzed and T. occidentalis samples from the Abia-Ohafia market  gave a total PAHs content of 15.42, 6.43 and 3.47 mg kg^-1 for UW, WTW and WSS, respectively, while the samples from the Okagwe-Ohafia market  gave 19.06, 9.49 and 2.35 mg kg^-1 for UW, WTW and WSS, respectively. The results obtained indicate that the content of PAHs in the samples  decreased significantly when washed with tap water and further decreased when washed with the aqueous solution of sodium chloride. Also, the  risk assessment of ΣPAH4 (the sum of benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[a]anthracene, benzo[b]fluoranthene and chrysene) in the samples indicated that there  was no risk associated with the consumption of the vegetable samples.