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Distribution, health and ecological risk assessments of trace elements in Nigerian oil sands

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Abstract

The Nigerian oil sands represent the largest oil sand deposit in Africa, yet there is little published information on the distribution and potential health and ecological risks of trace elements in the oil resource. In the present study, we investigated the distribution pattern of 18 trace elements (including biophile and chalcophile elements) as well as the estimated risks associated with exposure to these elements. The results of the study indicated that Fe was the most abundant element, with a mean concentration of 22,131 mg/kg while Br had the lowest mean concentration of 48 mg/kg. The high occurrence of Fe and Ti suggested a possible occurrence of ilmenite (FeTiO3) in the oil sands. Source apportionment using positive matrix factorization showed that the possible sources of detected elements in the oil sands were geogenic, metal production, and crustal. The contamination factor, geo-accumulation index, modified degree of contamination, pollution load index, and Nemerow pollution index indicated that the oil sands are heavily polluted by the elements. Health risk assessment showed that children were relatively more susceptible to the potentially toxic elements in the oil sands principally via ingestion exposure route (HQ > 1E-04). Cancer risks from inhalation are unlikely due to CR < 1E-06 but ingestion and dermal contact pose severe risks (CR > 1E-04). The high concentrations of the elements pose serious threats due to the potential for atmospheric transport, bioaccessibility, and bioavailability.

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The data analyzed and/or generated during the study will be made available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

The authors sincerely acknowledge the management of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria for providing an enabling environment for the research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, 220005, Nigeria

    Odunayo T. Ore & Festus M. Adebiyi

  2. Department of Chemical Sciences, Achievers University, Owo, Nigeria

    Odunayo T. Ore

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  1. Odunayo T. Ore
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  2. Festus M. Adebiyi
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Odunayo T. Ore: Software, Formal analysis, Writing- original draft, review and editing. FMA: Conceptualization, Methodology, Supervision, Writing—review and editing.

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Correspondence to Odunayo T. Ore.

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Ore, O.T., Adebiyi, F.M. Distribution, health and ecological risk assessments of trace elements in Nigerian oil sands. Acta Geochim 43, 59–71 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11631-023-00641-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11631-023-00641-7

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