Seasonal congener survey for polychlorinated biphenyls in sediments of south-western rivers, Nigeria: Occurrence, sources, and ecotoxicological risks

In this work, sediment samples from major rivers within southwestern Nigeria were collected to study the seasonal distribution, transport, and ecological risk assessment of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) using gas chromatography coupled with an electron capture detector (GC-ECD). The Sigma PCB concentrations ranged from 9.86-77.56 mu g/kg and 11.88-80.76 mu g/kg in dry and wet seasons respectively. The most predominant PCBs congener in all the sediments was 2,2',4,5,5'-PeCB(#101) with mean concentrations of 4.35 +/- 2.96 and 6.10 +/- 3.38 mu g/kg across all locations in dry and wet seasons respectively. Relevant guidelines including sediments quality guidelines (SQGs) mean effect range-median quotient (m-ERM-Q), and toxic equivalent factor (TEF) were used for risk assessment and to evaluate the ecological risks of PCBs across the rivers. The toxic equivalent quantity (TEQ) ranged from 0.044-0.807 mu g-TEQ/kg and 0.055-0.825 mu g-TEQ/kg for the dry and wet seasons respectively. The non-ortho PCBs congeners constituted >= 99.8% of the Sigma TEQ values. The seven indicators PBCs for evaluating non-dioxin-like PCBs ranged from 3.70-32.69 mu g/kg across the seasons and accounted for 33.4%, 39.8%, 36.8%, 37.9%, 41.4%, and 40.4% of the Sigma PCBs at Asejire, Odo Ona, Ogbese, Ogun, Ikorodu rivers and Third Mainland Bridge Ocean respectively. In two out of six rivers, the Sigma PCBs exceeded the Canadian SQG threshold effect level of 21.5 and 34.1 mu g/kg for fresh and marine sediments respectively. The results of the study call for a concerted effort toward holistic monitoring of PCB residues in rivers in Nigeria to ensure ecological integrity and the protection of human health. (c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, sediment samples from major rivers in southwestern Nigeria were analyzed to investigate the seasonal distribution, transport, and ecological risk assessment of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The results showed variations in PCB concentrations between the dry and wet seasons, with 2,2',4,5,5'-PeCB(#101) as the predominant congener. Risk assessment using different indicators indicated potential ecological risks associated with PCB contamination in the rivers.