ABSTRACT

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) form a large class of diverse organic compounds, each of them containing two or more aromatic rings. They generally occur in complex mixtures. These compounds (PAHs) enters the food chain by deposition from air, or by deposition and transfer from soil and water as a result of their ubiquitous nature. Occurrence and toxicity of PAHs have however, been evaluated by numerous organizations among which are the United State Environmental Protection Agency (US. EPA), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IACR) amidst others. This study investigated the total concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) content in certain twelve (12) commonly consumed food samples; Eiaies guineensis, Cola nitida, Cocos nucfera, Chrysophyllurn albidiurn, Carica papaya, Citrus sinensis, 1 ernonia amygdalina, Talinum triangulare, Telcferia occidentalis, Colocasia escuienia, Dioscorea alanta, dud IVianihot esculenta and soil samples from the industrialized areas of Nnewi. The PAHs analysed have potencies which ranged from genotoxic, hernatological, immunological to carcinogenic effect, thus the need to carryout Health risk assessment of the populace of the community (children, teens, adult, and seniors) of varying body mass, evaluating their daily intake (DI) and lifetime cancer risk (LCR). The total PAHs in the food samples grouped into tubers, fruits. nuts and vegetables ranged from below detectable limits (BDL) of 0.000lmgkg in some fruits (pawpaw and orange) and nut (coconut) to 36.99mgkg' in vegetable. Others with low total PAHs aside below detectable limits were Yam, Star apple and kolanut with values of 1.00rngkg', 0.99mgkg and l.81mgkg' respectively. And the total concentration of individual PAH components across the table ranged from 1.95mg of naphthalene to 30.84mg of fluoranthene (4 ringed PAH). The toxic equivalence of Benzo[a]pyrene (TEBaP) in the food samples and the daily intake of PAH via consumption of these food samples ranged from below detectable limit (BDL) of 0.0001rngkg 1to 55.86rngkg and 0.0001mgkg' to 0.93mgkg' in Teen, Senior, and Adult, and then 3.72mgkg' in children. The obtained values however, Puts the children at greater risk of these hazardous potencies of high PAH consumption, as it far supersedes the regulatory target cleanup levels of 0.1 — 0.66mgkg' of PAH and B(a)P-TE. With the soil samples analysed, the total PAHs was 22.12rngkg 1 , which exceeds the W.H.O standard of 1 tgkg 1 , thus suggesting it as one of the other possible route through which the food samples were polluted. The obtained values for DI and LCR suggests that children are more prone to the lifetime risk of cancer when compared with other groups. thus adequate measures should be put-up to check and regulate the menace of these compounds within habitable limits of humans.