Some occupational and ecotoxicological hazards associated with selected industries in South-Eastern Nigeria
| dc.contributor.author | Obinwanne, Carol Chioma | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-03-23T13:43:36Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-03-23T13:43:36Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2021-09 | |
| dc.description | This thesis is for the award of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Environmental Health Biology | |
| dc.description.abstract | This study was focused on ascertaining some occupational and ecotoxicological hazards associated with healthcare, quarrying, road construction, asphalt and brewery industries in South-Eastern Nigeria. The sample population comprised one hundred and thirty-five female and male workers within the ages of twenty-one and sixty years who had been on the job for three or more years. For the control group, fifteen human subjects who were non-industrial workers within the same age bracket were used. Health status of workers was assessed using chest x-ray, specimens of sputum, full blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and hair washings. Air quality was assessed with CROWCON Gasman II monitor/analyser while Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy was used to identify heavy metals in hair, water, soil and leaf samples. Physicochemical and microbiological properties of water and soil with heavy metal accumulation and proximate analysis of plants, in and around work environment were determined using standard methods. Results obtained from the health status of workers showed that 16% of males and 13% of females sampled had a high incidence of consolidation of the lung as well as peak values of the cardiothoracic ratio (0.45±0.06 cm) and (0.40±0.08 cm) respectively, in road construction industries. Sputum for Mycobacterium tuberculosis tested positive in 5% of the males in the asphalt industry. Lymphocytosis among males; eosinophilia and high ESR among females, were significantly different (p<0.05) from their controls in five (5) industries. Peak values of lead (0.26±0.04 mg/l) and cadmium (0.79±0.03 mg/l) from hair washing were recorded among quarry and healthcare workers, respectively. In air quality results, sulphur (IV) oxide was significantly different (p<0.05) from their controls in the five industries. Asphalt industry was recorded to be the worst, with a pollution level of 92.35±3.49 μg/m³ for particulate matter (μg/m³), while the brewery industry had the least with a pollution concentration level of 5.19±3.09 μg/m³. Physicochemical and microbial analyses of freshwater and soil, showed that Nworie river near healthcare industries had a dominance of pH (8.07±2.11); total dissolved solids (TDS), biochemical oxygen demand, nitrate, nitrate-nitrogen, phosphate, phosphorous, lead, cadmium and chromium, but had least values (2.9x10⁵±3.0 CFU/ml) of total bacteria. Akpoha river near quarry had peak values of temperature (33.20±1.97°C); conductivity (6262.67±10503.89 μS/cm) mercury, total fungal count and total hydrocarbon utilizing fungi (HUF). The river Akpou-ga Nike near asphalt industry had peak values of total bacterial count (7.3x10⁵±8.1x10⁵ CFU/ml) and the least values (2.0x10³±2.6 CFU/ml) of total fungal count. Njaba river near the brewery, had the peak values of dissolved oxygen, arsenic and total petroleum utilizing heterotrophic bacteria but recorded least values of temperature, pH, conductivity, TDS, lead, cadmium, mercury and chromium. For soil, the industries: healthcare, road construction and brewery had loamy sand soils, while quarry and asphalt had sandy soils. The peak values (7.45±0.01) of pH was recorded in samples from the brewery and least values (1.96±0.02) from asphalt industries. Soil mean values of pH, lead, cadmium, chromium, total bacterial count and total hydrocarbon utilizing fungi, were significantly different (p<0.05) from their controls in five industries. The peak values of soil total bacterial count (6.2x10⁶±1.0x10⁵ CFU/g) was recorded in the healthcare industry. There was no growth of hydrocarbon utilizing bacterial (HUB) and fungi, in quarry and asphalt industries. In the determination of the presence of heavy metals and proximate analysis of plants, it was discovered that the mean values of lead, in the leaves of Manihot esculenta and Carica papaya, were significantly different (p<0.05) from their controls in the industries studied, as well as the mean values of macronutrients, in healthcare, asphalt and brewery industries. There were significant occupational and ecotoxicological hazards associated with industries studied, such as pneumonitis; and possible inflammatory biomarkers: lymphocytosis among males; eosinophilia with high ESR values among the female workers; Alopecia areata (with "i hair" as a potential biomarker), in the brewery industry and air pollutant, TSPM10 μg/m³. There was a significant effect of poor air quality around the work area, such as Status Asthmaticus and sulphur (IV) oxide pollution. Industrial toxicants had significant effects on the physicochemical and microbial properties of water and soil around the workplace, and adjoining environments such as the predominance of lead and total bacterial count. The workplace was indeed contaminated and had adverse health effects on both workers and the environment. | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Obinwanne, C. C. (2021). Some occupational and ecotoxicological hazards associated with selected industries in South-Eastern Nigeria [Unpublished Doctoral Thesis)]. Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://repository.futo.edu.ng/handle/20.500.14562/2458 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Federal University of Technology, Owerri | |
| dc.rights | Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International | en |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ | |
| dc.subject | Occupational | |
| dc.subject | ecotoxicological | |
| dc.subject | hazards | |
| dc.subject | hydrocarbon utilizing bacterial (hub) | |
| dc.subject | quarrying | |
| dc.subject | Department of Biotechnology | |
| dc.title | Some occupational and ecotoxicological hazards associated with selected industries in South-Eastern Nigeria | |
| dc.type | Doctoral Thesis |