Levels and Distribution of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Associated Human Health Risk in the Consumption of Root, Stalk, Leaf, and Grain of Guinea Corn Plant Cultivated on Gosa dumpsite soil, Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Several studies have shown that the 16 USEPA priority PAHs can be released into the environment through open incineration of municipal solid waste (MSW), primarily through pyrolytic processes associated with the burning of MSW. Consequently, the objective of this paper was to determine the levels and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and associated human health risk in the consumption of root, stalk, leaf, and grain of guinea corn plant cultivated on Gosa dumpsite soil, Abuja, Nigeria using appropriate standard procedures after QuEChERS extraction and analyzed with GC–MS. High molecular weight (HMW) PAHs were the main compounds detected in parts of the guinea corn (root, stalk, leaf, and grain). The hazard quotient (HQ) linked to ingestion of the grain was 5.2 x 10^-5 for adults and 2.5 x 10^-7 for children, due mainly to benzo(g,h,i) perylene (BghiP), the only detected non-carcinogenic PAH. The cancer risk (CR) was 8.7 × 10^⁻7 for adults and 8.9× 10^⁻7 for children. Adults and children exposed to PAHs in guinea corn grain through consumption are unlikely to experience noncarcinogenic health risks. The probability of both exposed adults and children developing cancer may not exist. However, the distribution of carcinogenic PAHs in the dumpsite calls for urgent attention from relevant regulatory agencies and stakeholders to discourage the cultivation of food crops on polluted soil and to adopt safe waste disposal practices, due to bioaccumulation of PAHs.