| Affiliation: | (1) Water Research Institute–CSIR, P. O. Box TL 695, Tamale, Ghana;(2) Centre for Environmental Impact Analysis (CEIA), P.O. Box AD 738, Cape Coast, Ghana;(3) Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, University for Development Studies, P. O. Box TL 1882, Tamale, Ghana;(4) Department of Environmental Science, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana |
| Abstract: | ObjectiveConcentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in street dust in the Tamale metropolis, Ghana, have been measured in this study.ResultsThe concentrations of the various types of PAHs identified in street dust samples from high vehicular traffic density in the metropolis are as follows: naphthalene, 10,000 μg/kg; acenaphthylene, 13,000 μg/kg; acenaphthene, 76,000 μg/kg; fluorene, 18,900 μg/kg; phenanthrene, 40,000 μg/kg; anthracene, 21,000 μg/kg; fluoranthene, 35,200 μg/kg; pyrene, 119,000 μg/kg; benzo[a]anthracene, 17,700 μg/kg; chrysene, 10,600 μg/kg; benzo[k]fluoranthene, 18,700 μg/kg; benzo[a]pyrene, 10,900 μg/kg and benzo[g, h, i]perylene, 21,000 μg/kg. Calculation of the phenanthrene/anthracene ratio indicated that the PAHs identified in this study were from vehicular fallout as the ratio was less than 10.ConclusionIt is clear from the results of the study that road users in the Tamale metropolis, especially hawkers, are exposed to the harmful effects of PAHs, and this suggests the need for the establishment of mitigation measures by the regulatory agencies. |
