Document Type : Research Paper
Abstract
The quest for quality water and its importance have made it necessary to assess the potability of the water supply. This investigation was carried out to evaluate the concentration of PAHs in borehole water obtained from Orhuwhorun town in Delta State, Nigeria. The water sample was collected from a resident borehole and stored in a sterile bottle to avoid contamination. The water sample was analyzed for PAHs with the use of a gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GC-MC). The total concentration of PAH in water (?16 EPA PAHs), which are 16, includes chrysene (Chry), benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF), acenaphthene (Ace), benz[a]anthracene (BaA), acenaphthylene (AcPy), anthracene (Ant), benzo[k]fluoranthene (BkF), benzo[ghi]perylene (BghiP), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), Indeno[1,2,3- cd]pyrene (IndP), fluoranthene (Flu), dibenz[a,h]anthracene (DahA), naphthalene (Nap), pyrene (Pyr), phenanthrene (Phe), and fluorene (Flu). The mean concentration in this study ranges from 22.729 to 102.109 mg/L. The concentration of dibenz[a,h]anthracene (DahA) was observed to be the highest, while the concentration of Chry was found to be the lowest amongst all Ó16 PAH congeners detected. The result of this study was compared with the U.S. EPA Standard Limit, and all PAH congeners were found to exceed the standard limit, which shows that the sample is not fit for drinking. This significant concentration of PAH in the water can be attributed to various anthropogenic activities and untreated waste containing PAH. Therefore, there is an urgent need for regulatory agencies to make sure that industries check for environmental compliance.
